Fire on board Larnaca cruise ship
OVER 50 passengers and crew were rescued from a cruise ship near the Larnaca coast on Thursday night, after a fire broke out on board.
The ship, Memories is thought to have caught alight after an engine battery short circuited around 8pm, while the boat was just 500m from Phinikoudes beach.
On board were six crew and 52 passengers from England, Russia and Cyprus.
A police boat carrying five members of the fire service arrived at the scene within ten minutes of receiving their call, who then extinguished the flames. All of the passengers and crew were then rescued by private boats without harm.
Shortly after 10pm the boat was towed in to Larnaca harbour, where the damage was still being assessed last night.
Police spokesman Michael Katsounotos said yesterday that the ship had a safety certificate that was valid until December 2010, and so was licenced to sail
Asked about the boat-owners complaints that he was not provided with the appropriate equipment to tackle the fire, Larnaca fire service Chief Izekil Papadopoulos said “The fire service does not lend out its specialised equipment to untrained persons under any circumstances. It is an issue of pubic health and safety”
The ship will now be examined by the department of merchant shipping who will assess its seaworthiness.
Katsounotos said "from now on incidents within the field of search and rescue will be handled by the head of the Coordination Centre for Research and Rescue (KSED) under the Ministry of Defence, which has exclusive competence.'
Originally Posted at: www.cyprus-mail.com
