Azamara Quest accidents and incidents

05 June 2022Crew / Passenger Deaths

On June 5, 2022 (at ~ 2 am Mallorca time / 12-midnight UTC), a female passenger was reported missing and overboard. The ship was navigating in the Western Mediterranean Sea (en route from Barcelona to Malaga) and approx 120 km / 75 mi off Palma de Mallorca (Majorca Island, Balearic Spain).

For the operation, the Spanish coastguard dispatched two SAR helicopters (AgustaWestland AW139/ Helimer 206 and Helimer 223) and one search and rescue vessel (Guardamar Concepcion Arenal/IMO 9541655). The Azamara cruise ship Quest also assisted the search. Despite the intense efforts, the “middle-aged” woman's body was not found.

The incident occurred at the beginning of the 7-day "Bliss Spain and Morocco Voyage" (itinerary June 4-11, roundtrip from Barcelona) with call ports Malaga, Cadiz-Sevilla, Casablanca, and Valencia.

February 2018Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

January-February 2018, CDC reported on itinerary January 25 to February 8, a Norovirus outbreak (gastrointestinal illness) infected 20 passengers (out of 663, or 3%) and 2 crew (out of 458, or 0,4%). All sick suffered from Norovirus symptoms (stomach cramps, predominantly vomiting and diarrhea) and were quarantined to their cabins.

The ship was on a 14-day Repositioning cruise from South America to USA (Puntarenas Costa Rica to San Diego CA).

March 2016Structural and Technical Issues

In March 2016, the vessel’s Singapore drydock refurbishment period was extended by 3 days. The next scheduled itinerary (March 17) was re-scheduled for March 20, and the overnight stay in call port Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) was canceled.

All passengers booked on the affected itinerary received a 3-night refund, plus US$500 in shipboard credit and 20% in future Azamara cruise credit. Another US$500 per person were paid for any expenses due to flight and/or hotel changes. The company also gave all passengers the option for 25% future Azamara cruise booking discount if the booking is done on the ship and during the affected itinerary. The option of cruise cancellation and a full refund was also given to all booked passengers.

27 January 2016Ship Collision / Allision

On January 27, 2016, at 9:20 am, while in Marlborough Sounds (New Zealand) and entering Tory Channel, the ship (carrying 652 passengers and 394 crew) was reported to NZ’s maritime authorities for navigating too close to the rocks (within 30 m / 100 ft) and consequently striking them.

Local police divers were later dispatched from Wellington NZ and found paint on the side of Wheki Rock. The following conducted by the divers' investigation in call port Picton NZ found starboard hull damage (bilge kee) and damaged propeller. The pilot who guided the cruise ship was suspended.

After entering Tory Channel, there was a delay in starting the planned by the pilot turn to port. The Navigation Bridge team realized the vessel is going dangerously close to Wheki Rock (starboard side) so corrective action was taken. However, it was too late to prevent the hull's starboard contacting the rock. Following the collision, the vessel was steadied up on a safe track and continued on the passage to Picton NZ without further incidents.

Marlborough Sounds is a network of sea-drowned valleys at NZ South Island’s north end. Tory Channel is often subject to "strong tidal currents” with speeds up to 13 kph / 8 mph, making navigation difficult. Pilotage is compulsory for vessels with GT tonnage 350 tons and larger.

The investigative report revealed as the cause for the accident "confusion between the master (Captain) and the pilot". Vessel's first turn was taken too late and that caused the crash. Followed a ban on the Marlborough Sounds route in order to avoid future incidents. Since then, cruise ships use the same route as Cook Strait ferries.

Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” (striking another vessel).

30 March 2012Fire Accident

On March 30, 2012, at ~8:20 pm, the vessel suffered an engine room fire, which was quickly extinguished. The accident occurred while the ship was en-route to Sandakan (Sabah, Malaysia) from Manila (Philippines). All systems and onboard services remained operational, being powered by the ship’s emergency generator.

The incident resulted in 5 injured crew members. No injured passengers were reported. For nearly 1 full day the vessel (carrying 590 passengers and 411 crew) was adrift in the Sulu Sea, between Borneo and the Philippines. The remainder of the voyage was canceled.

All passengers were disembarked in Sandakan and flown to Singapore via charter flights. During the accident, the ship called for help and was assisted by Philippine Armed Forces and Coast Guard vessels. The ship was operating on 17-day Asian cruise (itinerary March 26 0 April 12) from Hong Kong to Singapore, with scheduled call ports Manila, Balikpapan (Borneo) and Indonesia (Palapo Sulawesi, Benoa Bali, Semarang Java, Komodo Island) before Singapore.

30 March 2012Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

On March 30, 2012 (during the fire accident), 5 crew suffered smoke inhalation. One of them (Juan Carlos Rivera Escobar) was reported being in an unstable condition. He was later offloaded and transported by an ambulance to a Sandakan hospital (ashore). The other 4 crew were treated at the onboard infirmary.

March 2009Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

On March 1, 2009, passenger embarkation in Hong Kong, China was delayed by ~9 hours due to the ship’s extensive cleaning after the Norovirus outbreak on the previous itinerary. As compensation, all passengers were taken to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The boarding started at ~6 pm.

Note: When the itinerary doesn’t include US cruise ports, the ship is not required to report to CDC, thus no official illness report would be issued.

29 October 2008Fire Accident

On October 29, 2008, a fire broke out in the ship’s laundry room but was quickly contained. The incident occurred when the vessel was docked in call port Chios (aka Híos) Greece, operating on Eastern Mediterranean itinerary in Southern Europe. No injuries were reported. Fortunately, most of the passengers were ashore on excursions. Reportedly, 5 fire trucks responded, but their assistance was not needed.

March 2008Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

On March 1, 2008, while on 14-day Caribbean cruise roundtrip from homeport Miami Florida, the ship reported a Norovirus outbreak (gastrointestinal illness) affecting 21 passengers (or 3,1% of all) and 2 crew (or 0,5% of all). All sick suffered from Norovirus symptoms (a headache, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) and were quarantined to their cabins.