Costa Allegra Docks in Seychelles

The crippled Italian cruise liner the Costa Allegra docked in the Seychelles on Thursday with over 1,000 people on board, three days after a fire in the engine room disabled it in pirate-infested Indian Ocean waters.

With no lights working on board, the company said it had dropped hundreds of torches onto the ship to help passengers find their way around at night.

A small generator was installed in the crippled vessel, but was only powerful enough to run its auxiliary communication system, not the air conditioning or cooking systems.

Norbert Stiekema, executive vice-president at Costa Cruises, told the news conference that all passengers were offered the option of a holiday or a flight home, and that all outstanding bills on the ship had been cancelled.

Some passengers were checked by medics as a precaution and the rest were taken to hotels.

Costa Allegra Adrift in Pirate Infested Waters

The Costa Allegra cruise liner carrying more than 1,000 people was adrift without power in the pirate-infested Indian Ocean on Monday after a fire erupted in its generator room. Officials said the blaze was extinguished without causing injuries.

The fire aboard the Costa Allegra occurred only six weeks after one of its sister ships, the Costa Concordia, hit a reef and capsized off Italy, killing 25 people and leaving seven missing and presumed dead. Both ships are operated by Costa Crociere SpA, which is owned by the Florida-based Carnival Corp.

Tugs were not expected to arrive until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest in the waters that regularly inhabitaed by Pirates.  Italian coast guard officials said a large French ocean fishing boat could be the first vessel to reach the stricken cruise liner late Monday night.