On Tuesday afternoon, a small fire started on the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, while it was docked at Costa Maya, Mexico.
At the same time, the power failed throughout the ship, impacting elevators, air conditioning, service stations, and cabins. Guests off the vessel were not permitted to reboard, as security scanners were non-functional during the power outage.
| A Royal Caribbean International spokesperson confirmed by phone to Cruise Radio that a small fire occurred on Tuesday Tuesday on the Icon of the Seas. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the ship also experienced a brief loss of power. However, backup generators were activated rapidly, and the vessel’s power was restored within minutes. |
Audio from Icon of the Seas’ public address system shared with Cruise Radio indicated that the fire was “in a non-technical space,” suggesting it occurred in a crew area or outside the engine room. Non-technical spaces on a cruise ship are areas not primarily used for ship operations or mechanical.
The onboard announcement:
| “There has been an incident on Icon of the Seas on the lower decks, non-technical spaces. Our highly trained crew members are dealing with the situation at hand, and at this time, we are asking you to remain calm and follow any further instructions from our crew members. The gangway operation is suspended, and we will update you further with more information.” |
Reports suggest the incident may have occurred below deck, with announcements referencing “I-95,” a nickname for one of the main crew corridors on cruise ships.
Crew members were seen wearing fire suppression gear, and the ship’s fire team responded according to established protocols. However, there was no call for passengers to assemble at muster stations, and no injuries have been reported.
The power outage continued on and off until the backup generators came fully online. By 3:00 p.m., all the power had been restored.
Marine tracking data shows that the 7,600-guest Icon of the Seas pulled away from the pier at approximately 5:17 p.m. local time. The ship is scheduled to visit Cozumel, Mexico, on Wednesday morning.
This is the second time the world’s largest cruise ship has lost power; on May 19, it was dead in the water until a technical issue was fixed onboard.
Cruise lines take the safety and security of their crew and passengers very seriously. Each ship has highly trained firefighting teams that practice for various scenarios on port days.
Icon of the Seas returns from its seven-night Western Caribbean cruise to PortMiami this weekend.
This story will be updated as information becomes available. If you are on board Icon of the Seas and have a tip, submit it here.
