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Cruise Ship Rescue: Tragedy Averted After Fire Sweeps Through Vessel [Video]

By Christian Savoy
Published on: 07:11 PST, Nov 20, 2015

Video footage of a dramatic cruise ship rescue shows how officials were able to prevent a tragedy after a major engine fire set the massive vessel adrift. The incident occurred on Wednesday as the French cruise ship Le Boreal was sailing close to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which is a British overseas territory. According to a report from Reuters regarding the incident, 347 passengers were rescued, and British South Atlantic navy officials say 79 passengers were winched from the deck. The rest of the passengers and crew were safe, sound, and accounted for. The ship was later declared stable, the report states.

In support of the Falkland Island government, British forces based in the Falkland Islands responded to a distress call from crew members aboard the 10,000-ton cruise ship. The engine room fire reportedly caused the ship to lose all power, which left it drifting on the rough seas, forcing the captain to order the ship to be abandoned.

Search and rescue helicopters of the Royal Air Force (RAF), supported by helicopters of a civil company along with the military ship HMS Clyde, rescued all of the evacuees. They were later brought to the British Forces Base at Mount Pleasant where they received care, clothing, food, and medical attention, Gov.uk wrote.

A video and photos released by the Defense Ministry show the harrowing incident and also revealed just how rough the seas were.

Michael Fallon, who is the Secretary of State for Defense and is a member of the National Security Council, released the following statement regarding the cruise ship rescue.

“This successful rescue in the Falklands this morning demonstrates how our Armed Forces are always ready to help those in peril,” Fallon said. “The swift action taken by Royal Navy and Royal Air Force crews, working with civilian counterparts, saved many lives and prevented this developing into a human tragedy.”

In a statement sent to the AFP, Fallon confirmed that the fire originated in the engine room, and he also announced the suspension of the cruise. Le Boreal is a cruise ship owned and operated by the French cruise line company Compagnie du Ponant. The company also issued a statement explaining that “a fire of a technical nature broke out on the ship in a compartment of the engine room,” adding that all passengers were evacuated from the ship as a “precaution.”

The vessel’s sister ship L’Austral, which was only hours behind, also offered assistance in the rescue. A report from MercoExpress explained that the plan was to transfer passengers to L’Austral, however, the high swells made the operation too dangerous out at sea. Instead, support boats were towed by HMS Clyde to the quieter waters of White Rock Bay to the South West of Cape Dolphin where the transfer was eventually made on Wednesday afternoon.

Commodore Darren Bone, who was recently appointed as the Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands (CBFSAI), spoke on the rescue effort and issued the below statement to British media sources.

“We responded with everything we had yesterday to assist in what was an extremely complex and hazardous rescue operation in difficult conditions but I am delighted that we can report all of the passengers and crew of the vessel are safe and well and the vessel itself in a stable condition. This was a huge team effort involving close liaison with the Falkland Islands Government and I am enormously impressed with the reaction by all the British forces involved, it was an exemplary performance all round.”

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