Fire breaks out on world’s largest cruise ship
By Francesca Street, CNN
(CNN) — Crew on board the world’s largest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas, were called on to tackle a fire this week as the gigantic vessel was berthed in a port in Mexico.
The “small fire” was “quickly extinguished” after it broke out on Tuesday, the ship’s operator Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed to CNN Travel. The cruise line said there were no injuries and the overall on board impact was “minimal.”
The record-breaking Icon of the Seas – which is nearly 1,200-foot-long and 250,800 gross tons – was docked in Costa Maya, Mexico when the incident occurred. The vessel briefly lost power, but back-up power was activated right away.
The Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed crew members controlled the blaze, explaining all crew are trained to handle such situations.
During the incident, on-board announcements alerted passengers about what was happening, according to the cruise line. Social media users on an Icon of the Seas Facebook group spoke of minor disruption to their day, but proceedings were quickly back to normal.
The $2-billion Icon of the Seas made headlines when the vessel launched earlier this year, with its seven swimming pools – including a record-breaking 17,000-square-foot water park. The vessel’s current itinerary hasn’t been impacted by the fire and the ship is now en route to the Mexican island of Cozumel.
In March, a fire broke out on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship, with footage captured by a passenger of the ship’s tail ablaze.
Speaking to CNN Travel, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said minor fires are “not common, but also not uncommon” on cruise ships, but are usually handled swiftly and with minimal disruption to passengers.
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