A small private cruise ship called the Le Boreal had an engine room fire and as a result passengers and crew were evacuated.
A fire broke out in the ship’s engine room in the early hours of the morning. The small vessel which is operated by Compagnie du Ponant in France was sailing near Cape Dolphin just north of the Falkland Islands when the alarm was raised. The ship’s passengers and crew were evacuated to life rafts, 90 people were airlifted to safety and 347 were transferred to another vessel. There have been no injuries.
A spokesman for the French cruise line told ITV the following:
“As a precaution, all passengers were evacuated from the ship. They will re-embark on L’Austral, who belongs to the Ponant fleet, situated nearby, before being repatriated quickly.”
An investigation has been launched and the current voyage cancelled. The french cruise ship was sailing from Grave Cove in the Falkland Islands to South Georgia at the time. The Le Boreal ship was built-in 2010 and is 10,945 gross tons. The vessel is modern and features a swimming pool, dining restaurants, spa and even a casino.
