Update 6 am ET Tues 2/28/12:
Costa has issued several statements overnight indicating the following:
1. The Allegra is being towed by a French fishing vessel to the island of Desroches, expected to arrive Wednesday a.m.
2. A helicopter is enroute to the ship with food and communication equipment (i.e. satellite phones and radios)
3. All passengers and crew are fine, they were served a “cold breakfast” this morning and have been invited to prepare their luggage for disembarkation
More details as they develop, here and on @SimonTravels on Twitter.
——- Original Report ——-
It’s the last thing Costa Cruises needed right now.
Fire struck the engine room of the Costa Allegra as she sailed off the coast of the Seychelles Islands today, leaving the ship drifting without power in the Indian Ocean.
According to media reports and a statement from the line itself, everyone on board is safe with no injuries reported, and the fire was put out after several hours. Passengers and crew assembled at muster stations in case evacuation became necessary. Passengers have been served food and water, and the ship is “stable and upright,” Costa says.
The first rescue ship, a 90 meter French-flagged deep sea fishing vessel, has arrived at the stricken Allegra within the past hour. The commanders are communicating by radio and will assess the situation at dawn. At least 3 other ships, two reported to be major cargo-carriers and two tug boats, are expected alongside Allegra on Tuesday. The Seychelles Coast Guard allegedly attempting to coordinate an evacuation via a remote island air strip, though other reports cite sources that say the ship will be towed to port.
Costa Allegra entered service in 1969 as the cargo ship MS Annie Johnson. After nearly 30 years of cargo service, the Annie Johnson was sold to Regency Cruises in 1986 with the intention of converting the vessel, renamed Regency Moon, to a cruise ship. In 1998, the still unconverted ship was sold to Compania Naviera Panalexandra and renamed Alexandria for cruise use but remained unconverted. In 1990, she was sold to Costa Cruises, converted into a cruise ship and launched as Costa Allegra in 1992. The ship is the oldest still serving in any fleet of Costa parent Carnival Cruise Lines. The ship is small by modern standards, weighing in at just 28,000 tons and hosting just 820 passengers (1,072 passengers at full capacity) and about 400 crew. 627 passengers, 8 of whom were US citizens, were onboard the current cruise.
This is the second tragedy for Costa in just 6 weeks, after the Costa Concordia struck rocks off the coast of Italy and nearly sunk, killing 25 with 7 seven still missing.
Updates here as this story develops, or follow @SimonTravels on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
For even more Travel News & Views, check out Simon’s Blog at SimonTravels.net or follow Simon on Twitter @SimonTravels.
Many residents, industries and planned vacations (not to mention oil soaked wildlife that is lucky if it gets a dish soap bath) lie in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill disaster. The way that the tourism industry has reacted to the spill runs the gambit: from closing their eyes, with a nothing to see here attitude, to getting out in front and showing webcam evidence that there is nothing to see here… yet. 
So here is the back story: You’ve been out at sea for several days after you went out on a fishing expedition and ran out of gas.
