SINGAPORE: A crew member has been reported dead after a fire on a cruise en route to Singapore early on Friday (Feb 20).
Out of 224 passengers on board, there were 185 Singaporeans, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a statement at about 8.40am.
MPA patrol craft, the Police Coast Guard and the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Marine Division are attending to the vessel, which is anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage.
According to an MPA map online, the anchorage is located between Pulau Senang and Pulau Semakau.
The fire on board World Legacy – a Liberia-registered passenger vessel – happened at about 4am, it said.
The fire was put under control shortly after, MPA said. There were 388 crew members on board, none of whom are Singaporeans. A crew member has been reported dead.
There were no reported injuries among the other crew members and passengers, MPA added.
Travel agency Dragon Cruises, a Singapore-based company that manages local business development for World Cruises, the brand under which the World Legacy vessel is marketed, said it is cooperating fully with the authorities.
“Passenger and crew safety is our top priority,” a spokesperson said in its response to queries from The Straits Times.
It said it will provide updates when available.
The World Legacy vessel has more than 300 cabins. Unlike typical cruise ships, guests on World Legacy can choose between visiting the cruise for a few hours, and extending their visit to an overnight or three-day, two-night stay.
According to a chart uploaded on Facebook by World Legacy by World Cruises on its Chinese New Year sailings, the sailing on Feb 20 was scheduled to arrive in Harbourfront at 7am and depart at 9am. Later in the day, World Legacy was expected to arrive in Harbourfront at 6pm and depart at 10.30pm. - The Straits Times/ANN
