Oceania Cruises has cancelled the Dec. 17 cruise of the Insignia while authorities investigate the cause of the Dec. 11 engine room fire that killed three workers.
The investigation is being led by the Marshall Islands, where the ship is registered, with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard. Oceania said the ship will likely enter a dry dock to undergo repairs once the investigation is completed on the vessel.
The cruise ship, carrying 656 guests, reported the fire in the engine room while docked in St. Lucia the morning of Dec. 11. Two contractors and an Insignia crew member died; another crewmember was hospitalized but has since been released.
The fire was contained to the engine room and extinguished. Passengers disembarked in St. Lucia and were flown to Miami on planes chartered by Oceania. They have started to tell their side of the tragic event in local media reports, with some reporting hours-long waits in a hot terminal with minimal food and water, while other passengers said other cruise ships provided meals.
Rick Silver, a psychotherapist from Toronto, told The Star newspaper that there was little to no assistance from crew members during the evacuation. "I cannot imagine what would have happened if it was an hour or two earlier," he said. "Being in the middle of the Atlantic, there would have been more than three deaths."
Oceania said its new president and COO, Jason Montague, went to St. Lucia with the company's care team to help assist the displaced guests. It provided complimentary hotel, $100 per person each day for meals and incidentals while guests were at the hotel, the paper reported.
Those booked on the cancelled Dec. 17 voyage can transfer the reservation to another Oceania cruise or receive a full refund. Guests also will receive a 25 percent future cruise credit.
The Insignia was on a 10-day cruise that had departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 7 and was scheduled to arrive in Miami Dec. 17.
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