Cruise ship Azamara Quest adrift south of Philippines after fire

Cruise ship Azmara Quest with about 1,000 people on board asked to prepare to leave the ship when a fire broke out in the engine room.

The fire on the Azamara Quest started late Friday but it was contained to the engine room and was quickly put out and no passengers were injured.Five crew members sustained some injury according to the Philippine coast guard.

The engineers have managed to restore the power to one of the ship's engines, allowing the vessel to resume air conditioning, running water, plumbing and refrigeration.

Azamara Club Cruises is a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

The damage caused by the fire has meant that the rest of the cruise will be cancelled once the ship has arrived in Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia. The 17-night tour began in Hong Kong on Monday and was due to finish in Singapore on April 12.

Two coastguard vessels and a patrol boat are expected to reach the liner later.The ship was approximately 200 miles off the coast of Balikpapan (Borneo), Indonesia, in calm seas.

The incident comes after the Costa Concordia liner ran into a reef and capsized in January, 32 people – including a five-year-old girl, died , run by Costa Cruises.Six weeks later another Costa cruise ship, the Costa Allegra, was left adrift off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean after fire broke out on board.