Cruise liner out for repairs

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33423, 3 January 1974, Page 1

Cruise liner out for repairs

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SUVA, January 2.

The 24,000-ton Greek cruise liner Patris had emergency repairs in Suva today after a fire which left her drifting in the New Hebrides group of islands without power for 29 hours.

The fire, which broke out on Sunday, knocked out two of the ship’s four generators. A third failed as she berthed at Suva late last night.

The 969 Australian and New Zealand passengers had New Year’s Day meals of partly stale food because the damage cut off most of the liner’s air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. Two passengers complained in Suva today of bad food

and one said some cabins were filthy because lavatories and wash-basins overflowed.

The ship’s owner, the Chandris Line, flew engineers from Greece to help Fiji engineers with temporary repairs. These will enable the ship to continue its cruise to Apia in Western Samoa and Nukualofa, in Tonga, the Chandris resident manager in Australia (Captain John Arlaud) said today.

He said he hoped that the ship would sail from Suva either tomorrow or on Friday. Captain Arlaud said the fire broke out in the main generating room soon after the Patris left Vila, in the New Hebrides, on Sunday.

The cause was unknown, he said. Twenty-five Greek seamen put the fire out after an hour.

Captain Arlaud "aid that in an attempt to repair the two damaged generators the ship’s main engine was shut down and she was allowed to drift for 29 hours while the ship’s. engineers tried to repair them. “The ship had all facilities except for air-conditioning, which made things pretty unpleasant for the passengers,” he said.

He described the passengers as generally “very good and understanding” about their plight. Engineers later switched on the two usable generators and used one for lighting and

the other to supply the main propulsion engines. Captain Arlaud said that because of the difficulty in feeding the passengers properly, they were sent ashore to eat at hotels after the Patris arrived in Suva.

Some passengers told reporters that they were enjoying their trip despite the discomfort.

But one man complained that passengers were ordered to the main deck and left in ignorance about the fire for several hours.