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Cruise liner drifting near Melbourne
A cruise liner adrift off the Victorian coast with thousands of passengers on board is not expected to be towed to Melbourne until Saturday afternoon. Vision: Channel Seven
Distressed passengers were in tears on Friday, with the ship stranded and their holiday plans in disarray.
The Norwegian Star, which departed from Sydney on February 6 carrying more than 2000 passengers,
was bound for New Zealand.
It is the second round of engine trouble to strike the ship after it departed from Hong Kong on January 16 for Sydney.
A man phoning from the ship, who did not wish to be named, told Fairfax Media passengers were devastated and crying.
"It's a bloody nightmare," he said.
"We're stuck in the middle of the ocean. It's scary. Especially with Melbourne's weather being quite changeable."
A woman, who also didn't wish to be named, said her friend was on board the ship and had phoned to tell her about the situation.
"The mood on board is dire," she said.
Steve T. Raney posted on Facebook: "WE have NO engines for propulsion!!! WE are afloat in the ocean!!!"
He wrote that passengers were safe and comfortable.
A spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruise Lines said the ship's azipod propulsion system had experienced a technical malfunction early Friday morning.
"The ship has full power and all on board services are fully operational," she said.
"All guest amenities remain open and available and the weather conditions are favourable.
"The ship is in no danger whatsoever and the comfort and safety of our guests and crew are unaffected by this situation."
@TravelMortician - Guess Whaaaat? We're adrift 70 miles out of Melbourne. 2nd Azipod broke. Getting tow back to Melbourne #NorwegianStar
— Mark E Matz (@MarkEMatz) February 9, 2017
The spokeswoman said authorities had been notified and arrangements made to tow the ship to shore for repair.
She said all guests would receive a full refund, as well as a 50 per cent future cruise credit.
"Norwegian Cruise Line sincerely extends its deepest apologies to guests for the inconveniences that they have encountered," she said.
The Australia Maritime Safety Authority is monitoring the ship, which was about 20 kilometres south of Inverloch on Friday.
"Diesel generators on board are working, meaning the ship has power to its passenger facilities and bow thrusters, but the main propulsion engines are not working," a spokesman said.
"This means the master has some limited ability to manoeuvre the ship, but will need the assistance of tugs to reach port."
The ship was on a voyage from Melbourne to New Zealand.
The spokeswoman said those passengers wishing to disembark at Melbourne would be given a credit of up to $350 each for a flight to Auckland, or up to $300 each to change their flight if they wanted to leave immediately.
She said the Auckland itinerary, starting February 18, was expected to continue according to schedule.
The ship, which departed Hong Kong on January 16, also had problems in another part of the engine about nine days into the voyage.
The spokeswoman said attempts were made to repair the fault, but the cruise liner could not travel at speed.
The ship skipped up to five ports in order to reach Sydney, its final destination, on time.
One passenger was forced to disembark at Cairns after he reportedly raised concerns about the ship's safety.
The spokeswoman confirmed the man was asked to leave the ship in Cairns, because his behaviour was distressing other passengers.
"He and his travel companion were provided with transportation and airline tickets to return home," she said.
"Norwegian takes this matter very seriously, as all guests are entitled to a safe and hospitable environment in which to enjoy their holiday."
