Passengers stay cool as ship crew put out fire

GEORGE TOWN: A small fire in the engine room of a cruise ship homeported here broke out while she was returning to Swettenham Pier after a night at sea. Leisure World anchored about 1km from the pier while the crew put the fire out at about 7.30am yesterday. A source said the fire was extinguished in less than an hour but safety protocol prevented the ship from returning to the pier until the cause of the fire and state of the engine were determined. SuperStar Libra, also homeported in Penang, volunteered two crew boats to ferry Leisure World’s 123 passengers to shore.