The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Splendour of the Seas caught fire while sailing towards Kefalonia on October 22, 2015. The cruise ship was meant to visit Argostoli – a town located on the Greek Island of Kefalonia – when the fire broke out. The Splendour of the Seas set sail October 17th and was at the end of its schedule when the incident occurred.
19 crew members and one guest aboard the cruise were treated for smoke inhalation before ultimately being cleared and release after a thorough medical examination. The fire was described by consumer advocate, Clark Howard as, “a severe engine fire that lasted just under two hours.” Royal Caribbean release a statement, saying:
“The ship’s fire suppression system was activated, which contained and extinguished the fire. However, in an abundance of caution, it was deemed necessary to evacuate some guests from their stateroom.”
This incident occurred just a few months after a fire aboard another Royal Caribbean cruise line in July. The Freedom of the Seas caught fire as the ship was off the coast of Jamaica. The fire was described as being small, and no passengers were in need of evacuation. Passengers were sent to evacuation stations with life jackets as a precaution, but the fire suppression equipment aboard the Freedom of the Seas was also able to extinguish the fire quickly. In that incident, one crew member was treated for a minor burn.
In both incidents, the crew members and staff aboard the Royal Caribbean cruises acted with extreme caution and professionalism. Passengers were appropriately directed away from harm and necessary measure were taken to ensure the safety of all passengers, without causing panic. Accidents aboard cruise lines happen, what’s important is that all passengers are made aware of precautionary measures and the crew responds to incidents accordingly.