Boiler Room Fire Forces Cruise Ship Back to Port

File photo of Holland America’s MS Westerdam. Photo courtesy Holland America

June 29 (Reuters) – A boiler room fire aboard a Holland America cruise ship carrying nearly 2,900 people prompted the vessel to return to port in Seattle but caused no significant damage or injuries, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday.

The crew of the Westerdam reported the small blaze Saturday evening after the ship departed for a seven-day cruise to Alaska, Coast Guard Petty Officer George Degener said.

Crew members were able to extinguish the fire, which had re-ignited after they first put it out, Degener said.

The ship returned to Seattle “out of an abundance of caution” and remained fully operational, the company said in a statement. There were 2,086 passengers and 798 crew members onboard.

Degener said Coast Guard inspectors had cleared the vessel early Sunday morning to sail again when the crew was ready. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

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