Fire Accident (engine room fire) on the Marella Discovery on 7th July 2023

On 7 July 2023, the cruise vessel Marella Discovery, operated by TUI UK, experienced an engine room fire in the early hours while en route from Amber Cove (Dominicana) to Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The fire, which began in one of the vessel's five diesel engines, was swiftly extinguished by crew. No injuries, water ingress, or pollution were reported.

Although the vessel remained seaworthy, the master made the decision to return to Amber Cove for comprehensive damage assessment and emergency repairs. Class-approved surveyors conducted examinations to reinstate and certify the firefighting system before the vessel could resume sailing. The remainder of the affected cruise was cancelled, and all passengers were repatriated to the United Kingdom.

The fire was detected and contained by crew in the engine room during the early morning hours of 7 July. The crew extinguished the fire swiftly using onboard firefighting systems. The vessel's master assessed the situation and determined that while the ship remained seaworthy, it was prudent to return to port for full inspection and repairs. All passengers remained safe throughout the incident and were accommodated onboard during the return voyage to Amber Cove.

Passengers

• Exact number not specified in source; all passengers were onboard at the time of the incident.

Crew

• Exact number not specified in source; crew responded swiftly to extinguish the fire.

Fatalities

• None reported.

Injuries

• None reported.

Rescued

• All passengers and crew remained safe. Passengers were transported by bus from Amber Cove to Puerto Plata's Gregorio Luperon Airport and flown back to the United Kingdom.

The crew responded immediately to the fire alarm and extinguished the blaze using the vessel's onboard firefighting systems. The master made the decision to return to Amber Cove for inspection and repairs. Class-approved surveyors flew to Dominicana to conduct comprehensive examinations of the vessel and reinstate certification of the firefighting system before the ship could resume passenger service.

Following the completion of damage assessment and emergency repairs at Amber Cove, the Marella Discovery resumed passenger service on 23 July 2023, departing from Port Canaveral. The affected 7-day cruise (2–9 July) was cancelled in its entirety. The next scheduled voyage, the 7-day "American Dream Cruise" (9–16 July, roundtrip from Port Canaveral with ports in Freeport, New York City, and Charleston), was also cancelled. All affected passengers received full or proportional refunds depending on their departure dates, future cruise credits (FCC vacation vouchers), and automatic refunds for all reserved shore excursions at unvisited locations.