One injured in explosion on cruise ship in Portland

Oct. 18—Portland fire crews say a crew member was injured by an explosion Wednesday morning on a cruise ship docked at the Ocean Gateway Pier.

Fire Chief Keith Gautreu said the crew member was brought to the hospital. Their condition was unknown.

Gautreau told media gathered on the pier that 128 passengers and 82 crew members were on board. They were all taken off the ship and waited in the nearby terminal while authorities responded to the incident.

He said the explosion happened in the engine room around 7:25 a.m. Employees saw smoke and called for help. The ship had just docked Wednesday morning and was scheduled to spend the night in Portland before leaving Thursday.

The ship, Ocean Navigator, is operated by American Queen Voyages and was scheduled to begin a 10-day cruise from Portland to Saint John, New Brunswick, according to the company's website.

U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Frank Kulesa, the chief of response operations, said a fire in the ship's generator is believed to have sparked the explosion.

"All indications right now is the fire was contained in the engine room itself," he said.

There is no shore power at the pier. All ships use generators to power the vessel when docked.

The Coast Guard, Portland Fire and the Maine State Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire and whether the ship is safe. Officials said the cruise line will be responsible for making sure passengers have food and housing sorted out if they can't get back onboard.

Gautreau said some of the crew members may not be American citizens, so U.S. Customs and Border Protection was on scene to handle any potential issues.

"If you think about it, this chain-link fence is no different from the wall down in San Antonio," Gautreau said. "These are the challenges that Customs is dealing with."

According to Vessel Finder, an online marine tracking system, the ship is currently sailing under the flag of the Bahamas.

This story will be updated.