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Introduction
On October 18, 2023, while docked at Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland (Maine), the ship suffered an engine room fire.
An explosion followed after a diesel generator caught fire (at ~7:30 AM/~11:30 UTC). Fortunately, most of the passengers were ashore touring the local attractions.
Details of the Incident
The accident resulted in technical damages, and one crew member was seriously injured and hospitalized. All passengers (128) and crew (82) were safely offloaded/evacuated. The injured crewman sustained serious burns to the hands and arms, but the injuries were not life-threatening. There were no reported injuries among the passengers.
The fire was contained and quickly extinguished by the ship’s crew, with assistance from local firefighters. As a result of the incident, the current cruise was canceled, and passengers were not allowed to reboard the ship. Instead, they were accommodated at a local hotel.
Operational Context
AOV was compelled to cancel the next scheduled voyages, with departures on Oct 19th (7-day/Boston to Saint John NB) and Oct 26th (7-day/Saint John NB to Gloucester MA).
The vessel remained in South Portland until November.