Fire Leaves Cruise Vessel Adrift in Gulf : Ship With 700 Aboard Being Towed to Cancun by Mexican Navy

An engine fire broke out today on the Scandinavian Star, leaving the cruise ship adrift for hours in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 700 people on board, authorities said.

“The fire is out, and the ship is being towed by the Mexican navy to Cancun,” said Chief Petty Officer Luis Diaz of the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami. The Coast Guard cutter Vigilant is escorting the ship as a precaution, he said.

No fire injuries were reported, but an unidentified 71-year-old male passenger suffered a heart attack. A helicopter was dispatched from Homestead Air Force Base south of Miami to transport the man.

Among the 449 passengers and 266 crew members were a group of 16 high school seniors from Trenton, Tex., who were accompanied by other family members.

The seniors had raised money for their trip with chili suppers and car washes. The Coast Guard said nobody in the party was injured.

The Scandinavian Star was about 35 miles off Isla Mujeres, a Mexican island north of the tourist resort of Cancun on the Yucatan peninsula, the Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard spokesmen said that even though the fire was under control, the engine room had been sealed off and carbon dioxide had been pumped in, and the ship was dead in the water.

Other Ships Standing By

The cruise ship Canada Star and another vessel, the Vera Cruz I, were standing by to assist.

The Canada Star’s captain, Jens Thorn, said that the fire appeared to have been brought under control and that there was no reason to evacuate the ship.

“In the event that the fire breaks out again and that passengers have to evacuate the vessel, we will be there to assist and take the passengers,” Thorn said.

Petty Officer Brian Lincoln said the ship’s captain had requested additional firefighting equipment, such as foam and CO2.

The ship should arrive in Cancun late today or Thursday, Diaz said.

Jill DeChello, a spokeswoman for Miami-based SeaEscape Ltd., the ship’s owner, said the passengers will then be flown to St. Petersburg, its original destination after a three-day, four-night cruise to Cozumel.

DeChello said officials aren’t sure what started the fire, which began shortly after 1 a.m. “It will take a week before we know the cause and the extent of the damage,” she said.