Flames Erupt on Costa Cruise Ship

All crew and passengers are safe after a fire broke out onboard Costa Cruises’ ship, the Costa neoClassica, in the Red Sea on Christmas Eve. There were no reported injuries.

The fire broke out in the funnel of the ship, but was quickly extinguished by the ship's crew. During the incident, no onboard services were interrupted and the ship reached its destination port in Aqaba, where it is berthed pending a safety inspection.

It is not clear what caused the fire aboard Costa neoClassica or whether its scheduled 25-day Indian Ocean itinerary will need to be abandoned.

Costa Cruises stated that proper investigations on root causes are in progress and the situation is normal. According to the assessments now being performed, operations of the ship will be modified if needed.

Costa neoClassica was renamed just days ago following a major refurbishment. The 1991-built cruise ship just received a $28,000,000 worth of cosmetic upgrades.

Costa stated: “The Costa neoClassica has been refurbished in December 2014. She can host a total of 1,680 Guests, she is 53,000 gT.”