Fire broke out at lounge area on deck of World Legacy cruise ship heading to S’pore
One crew member has died after a fire broke out on a cruise ship heading to Singapore on Friday (20 Feb) morning.
That was the only fatality, as all 271 passengers on board were safely evacuated, said the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a Facebook post.
Source: Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook
Fire on cruise ship extinguished by SCDF
The fire broke out at about 4am Singapore time on board Liberia-registered passenger vessel World Legagy, said MPA’s initial press release.
It was put under control by the crew shortly after, with the vessel in a stable condition.
In a subsequent release, MPA said the fire was extinguished by firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Marine Division.
MPA patrol craft, the Police Coast Guard and the SCDF were attending to the vessel, which was anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage.
Source: Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook
A safety zone was also established around the vessel, with MPA issuing navigational broadcasts to advise passing vessels to keep clear.
Passengers evacuated in groups
Passengers were evacuated in groups, with the first group comprising 190 passengers, MPA said.
Source: Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook
They disembarked at HarbourFront Ferry Terminal, with SCDF paramedics and emergency medical technicians on site to provide medical support if needed.
Source: Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook
A TikTok video showed a large group of lifejacket-wearing passengers waiting to be evacuated.
Source: @quvnh.sg on TikTok
Several of them were seen climbing a narrow flight of steps as anxious voices were heard.
Source: @quvnh.sg on TikTok
MPA later updated that all 271 passengers, including 139 Singaporeans, had been safely evacuated.
Four passengers were conveyed to the hospital for further medical assessment, said MPA in its third press release about the incident.
Deceased crew member was Indonesian
The crew member who passed away was Indonesian, and the Indonesian embassy in Singapore has been informed.
The body has been transferred ashore, with the relevant authorities handling the necessary follow-up.
The deceased was one of 388 crew members on board, none of whom were Singaporeans.
While they will be disembarked progressively, a core crew will remain on board the vessel to conduct safety checks, carry out essential vessel operations, support investigations, and ensure the safe management of the vessel while at anchor.
Source: Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook
No injuries were reported among the other crew members and passengers, MPA said.
Cause of cruise ship fire under investigation
As for the cause of the fire, it is still under investigation.
However, based on preliminary investigations, the blaze occurred in the lounge area on deck nine of the vessel.
The ship’s owners have engaged classification society surveyors to board the ship and assess the extent of damage and the repairs to be carried out, before it returns to service.
According to World Legacy by World Cruises’ Facebook page, the ship was supposed to arrive at HarbourFront at 7am and depart at 10am on Friday.
It was then set to arrive at HarbourFront again at 7pm on the same day, and depart at 9pm.
Also read: 2 crew members dead after S’pore-registered ship catches fire off coast of China
2 crew members dead after S’pore-registered ship catches fire off coast of China
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Featured image adapted from Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore on Facebook and @quvnh.sg on TikTok.
