A local news station in Palm Beach Florida reports that a fire broke out yesterday on a Palm Beach-based cruise ship in the Bahamas.

WPBF Channel 25 reports that the fire occurred Bahamas Celebration cruise ship.  The cruise ship operates between Palm Beach and Freeport, Bahamas.  According to Wikipedia, the cruise ship is available for cruises to be purchased directly from Celebration Cruise Lines; however, it is primarily used as a lure by time share companies to attract clientele. 

The report indicates that the crew doused the fire themselves and no Coast Guard crews were called to the ship.

The ship is expected to return to the Port of Palm Beach this morning.  No one was reported injured.

There is no explanation regarding the cause or the extent of the fire.  The cruise ship is operated by the Celebration Cruise Line. 

The ship was previously known as the Princesse Ragnild.  It entered service in 1981 and was owned by Jahre Lines until 1991.  From 1991 until 2008, it was operated by the Color Line.

This is not the first fire on the cruise ship. On July 8 1999, a fire erupted in the engine room resulting in the evacuation of the ship. After repairs in Germany, ship resumed operations in September 1999. On March 1,  2002, the cruise ship experienced another engine room fire, which was quickly extinguished.

If you were on the cruise or know what happened regarding this latest fire, please leave a comment below.

December 13, 2001 Update: The Freeport News reports today that the Bahamas Celebration avoided a "potentially disastrous situation" after a fire erupted in the engine room of the ship some four miles off Grand Bahama early Monday morning.  The vessel was hauled into the harbor in Freeport by tugboats.

Seven-hundred-seven passengers and a crew of 300 plus were on-board the ship as it came into the harbor where a fire truck and an ambulance were stationed.

The fire was caused by generator number three which threw a rod and oil caught fire.

The newspaper reports that the fire was ultimately contained within 25 minutes and nobody on-board was injured.

The remaining generators were then shut down deliberately. 

The crew and passengers were led up to deck nine. Some of the passengers were quoted as describing the incident as "unsettling" and  "nerve-racking." 

A cruise line representatives called the incident a "minor fire." 

The cruise ship’s engine will require a complete overhaul because a lot of cables which melted need to be replaced. 

 

Photo credit:  maritimematters.com