Costa Cruises issues update on Costa Allegra

Cristiano De Musso from Costa Cruises has made a statement just ahead of the last evening at sea of their Costa cruise ship, the Costa Allegra, before entering Port Victoria in the Seychelles.

The Costa Allegra is being towed to Port Victoria following a fire in their engine room, which had immobilized the ship some two nights ago. The Seychelles government, its Tourism Board, and the Costa cruise ship’s ggent based in Seychelles have been working to ensure the safety and welfare of all the 600-plus passengers on the cruise ship.

Today the following message was duly transmitted by Costa Cruises:

“February 29, 2012 – 5:00 pm – Costa Cruises informs that the members of the Costa ‘Care Team” reached Costa Allegra and met guests on board to assess their state of health and serenity, as well as to collect their needs for disembarkation. From guests’s requests on board it comes out that, up to now, 376 guests out of 627 agreed on the Costa Cruises’ proposal to continue their vacation in Seychelles. These guests will be accommodated by Costa Cruises, at its expenses, in high-quality hotel structures on the following islands: Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, and Cerfs. Costa Cruises will arrange also homeward flights at the end of the vacation. The remaining 251 guests decided to return to their homes with flights organized by Costa Cruises departing from Mahé on Thursday evening, March 1.”

The cruise ship is now expected in Port Victoria on Thursday morning, bringing to an end the episode of the Costa Allegra adrift in the Indian Ocean.

Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, was heard on different news channels explaining that for the Seychelles it was the security and welfare of the passengers that remained their first priority. “This is why we worked hard to bring this unforeseen incident in our waters to a close as fast as was possible. The passengers on board are now set to be on firm ground on Thursday, and the 376 guests staying on for a holiday in Seychelles will all be invited to join in the three days of festivities of the Carnival International de Victoria, which be officially opened on Friday this week,” Alain St.Ange said.