Fire Cuts Cruise Short

A fire broke out in the engine room of a cruise ship with nearly 1,600 passengers on board after it left Bermuda for New York, but the fire was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt, the ship's owner Royal Caribbean International said this weekend. The Nordic Empress was on the final leg of a seven-day cruise when the fire broke out on Friday night as it was about 140 miles northwest of Bermuda, a company statement said. It said the cruise was canceled and the vessel was returning to Bermuda for repairs. Passengers will be flown back to New York at Royal Caribbean's expense and receive a voucher for a free cruise. The ship's next cruise, scheduled to start Sunday, was also canceled. The fire was reported caused by a rupture in the fuel line between the propulsion engines. - (Reuters)