Costa Allegra Adrift in Indian Ocean Following Fire

The cruise industry has once again found itself in hot water. In a nightmare for the passengers onboard and cruise PR agencies alike, another of Costa Cruises' (the same company responsible for the Costa Concordia tragedy last month, in which at least 25 people perished) ships is making more headlines today, following an engine room fire that has left its Costa Allegra vessel without power. While initial reports have indicated that there are no injuries or fatalities amongst the more than 1,000 passengers and crew aboard, the immobilized ship—which was en route from its Saturday embarkation point in Madagascar to a call in the Seychelles originally scheduled for tomorrow—is currently sailing adrift in the dark night in the Indian Ocean, some 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles. Though rescue vessels and tugboats are currently making their way to the stranded liner, we'll wager that Costa's public image is going to need a rescue operation of far larger proportions to fully emerge from this incident.

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