A cruise ship with 100 Britons on board left temporarily stranded in seas south of the Philippines after an engine room fire has been repaired and is heading for port.
The luxury liner Azamara Quest, carrying 600 passengers and 411 crew, is on its way to Sandakan port, in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah, the Philippine coastguard has confirmed.
Engineers on board the ship managed to restore electrical power after the blaze broke out on Friday afternoon, however they have only partially restored the propulsion system.
"Azamara Quest is currently sailing directly to Sandakan (Sabah), Malaysia at between three to six knots," Azamara Club Cruises said in a statement.
Based on this reduced operating speed, the ship is expected to arrive in port on Sunday night.
A statement from the owners said the fire was contained to the engine room and was quickly put out, and no passengers were injured.
But it said five crew members on board the ship suffered the effects of smoke inhalation with one crew member more seriously injured.
The captain of the ship mustered all passengers to the assembly stations as a precaution, the company added.
As the liner drifted, engineers were first able to restore power to one of its engines allowing it to re-establish air conditioning, running water, refrigeration and kitchens on board the ship, the statement said.
The damage caused by the fire means the rest of the cruise will be cancelled once the ship has arrived in Malaysia.
"As a gesture of goodwill and to thank our guests for their understanding, we will be providing all guests with a full refund for their cruise," the company added.
"Azamara Club Cruises will also be providing each guest with a future cruise certificate for 100% of the cruise fare paid for their March 26, 2012, Azamara Quest sailing."
Company president and CEO Larry Pimental will fly to Sandakan to meet the ship's passengers on their arrival.
The 17-night tour began in Hong Kong on Monday and was due to finish in Singapore on April 12.
The incident comes after the Costa Concordia liner ran into a reef and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January leaving 25 people dead and seven more missing and presumed dead.
Six weeks later another Costa cruise ship, the Costa Allegra, was left adrift off the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean after a fire broke out on board.
A Foreign Office spokesperson, speaking about the Azamara Quest, said: "We are aware of the incident and our colleagues in Manila are liaising with the Philippines coastguard and RCI cruises.
"A consular team from the region will be sent to meet the ship when it docks to see what consular assistance we can provide."
Friends and family of passengers can find further information on the Azamara Quest Facebook page , their website or by contacting the Azamara Quest helpline in the US on +1 408 916 9001 .
