Red Sea diving liveaboard Scuba Scene has been gutted by a fire that broke out soon after its departure from Hurghada – but according to reports from Egypt all guests and crew were evacuated unharmed, and taken ashore to safety.
The 43m steel-hulled vessel had been scheduled to begin a one-week Red Sea trip on a “Northern & Tiran” itinerary on Monday, 18 April.
One of the divers aboard told diving website Scubaverse that the fire appeared to have started in Scuba Scene’s engine-room, and described as “fantastic” the crew’s response as they mustered the guests and evacuated them on the boat’s two speedboats. The divers had been taken to a hotel in Hurghada.
‘Most rigorous safety standards in the Red Sea’
Launched in 2011, the four-deck Scuba Scene was built to accommodate up to 26 divers in nine twin cabins and four suites. It was operated by technical diver and instructor Ahmed Fadel and marine biologist and shark diver Elke Bojanowski, both of whom hosted Scuba Scene diving safaris.
Their emphasis on the liveaboard’s compliance with “the most rigorous safety standards in the Red Sea” would appear to have paid off in terms of the reported safe evacuation of everyone on board during the emergency.
Scuba Scene’s safety specification included life-jackets, three life-rafts, fire-extinguishers in every cabin, saloon, kitchen, engine-room and all public areas, a fire-fighting and alarm system and smoke-detectors throughout.
