Passengers taken off cruise ship

AO MAKHAM: About 250 passengers aboard the cruise ship Andaman Princess were taken off the vessel yesterday afternoon after a bilge pump broke down near Maiton Island. “The problem arose in the engine room at 4:30 pm when a pump stopped working and the ship began to list,” said Narong Chinsot, Phuket Operations Manager of the Andaman Princess. K. Narong denied a newspaper report that the passengers – all Thais who had been on a three-day trip to the Similan Islands – were taken off the vessel because of fears it might sink. He also denied that the crew had been taken off the ship. He explained that the passengers were all scheduled to fly to Bangkok in the evening, and because the vessel had been forced to slow down, there were worries that they might miss their flight. “We contacted Seatran Express, which sent two boats to transfer all the passengers and to bring us a replacement pump. Everything was fixed by 7 pm. The ship anchored off Maiton Island overnight with all the crew on board before sailing into Phuket Deep Sea Port today,” K. Narong told the Gazette. The Deputy Superintendent of Marine Police, Division 5, Pol Lt Col Prasobchai Banluesin, said that there had been no report of damage to the ship or injuries among the crew or passengers. “It was only a minor unforeseen circumstance, but the passengers needed to be transferred fast so that they would not miss the flight,” Lt Col Prasobchai confirmed.