Enigma crew rescued from burning yacht

The 75m sailing yacht, Enigma (previously called Phocea), caught fire Sunday morning (February 21st) off an island near Langkawi, Malaysia. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) rescued all seven crew uninjured from the sinking yacht.

Once the fire was detected by a local patrol vessel, rescuers began fighting the flames despite strong wind conditions. MMEA director, Maritime first admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah, said the weather was “making the operation difficult. No oil spill was reported and we will continue monitoring the situation.”

In a statement the MMEA said its 6 FLASH boat had been mobilised to the scene to provide assistance and also to give information of the incident to various Malaysian government departments including the navy, police force, fire and rescue and  environment.

Assets from other agencies, inclduding RHIB Boats from the navy and MV Suhail from the Malaysian Sea Department together with the Malaysian Fire Department were also on hand to extinguish the fire.

The vessel, Enigma, was built in 1976, after crossing the Atlantic, she was converted to a cruise ship by her original builders, the French shipyard DCAN. In 1999 her owner ordered a major interior and exterior refit at the Lürssen shipyard in Germany.

The yacht was again sold in 2010 to her current owners. The yacht accommodated 12 guests in a master suite, one VIP, two double and two twin cabins, and slept up to 23 crew members.