A luxury cruise ship left drifting in Philippine waters is back under its own power, heading for Malaysia.

Philippine coast guard officials said Saturday the Azamara Quest hopes to reach port in Sandakan in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The ship first starting drifting late Friday after a fire broke out in one of its engine rooms, injuring five crew members, one of them seriously. But Coast Guard spokesman Algier Ricafrente, said the ships crew had managed to fix the power and propulsion systems.

“The intention of the vessel is to proceed to her next port of call in Sandakan, Malaysia, while the coast guard vessel, who is in the area, is now following and escorting the vessel while it's navigating at a slow speed.''

Officials said none of the nearly 600 passengers – most of them American and European – was hurt.

The ship's operator, Azamara Club Cruises, said the vessel had left Hong Kong on Monday and that the rest of the cruise had been canceled.

It said it would refund the passengers' money and that the company president would be on hand to greet the passengers and crew when they arrive in Malaysia.

The fire on board the Azamara Quest is the latest in a series of accidents to strike the luxury cruise industry. In January, the Costa Concordia capsized after hitting rocks off the coast of Italy, killing 32 people.

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1. (English) PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD SPOKESPERSON COMMANDER ALGIER RICAFRENTE SAYING:

“The vessel is now moving at slow speed since they have already restored power of the vessel, and it's propulsion. The intention of the vessel is to proceed to her next port of call in Sandakan, Malaysia, while the coast guard vessel, who is in the area, is now following and escorting the vessel while it's navigating at a slow speed.''

2. (English) PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD SPOKESPERSON COMMANDER ALGIER RICAFRENTE SAYING:

“What we want is to ensure that the vessel is safe and secured while she's still in our area of responsibility.''

1. (English) Algier Ricafrente, Commander, Coast Guard Public Affairs Office:

“Based on what has reached our headquarters, the fire started in the engine room which caused their power and propulsion to shut down and luckily they managed to restore it early this afternoon.”

2. (English) Algier Ricafrente, Commander, Coast Guard Public Affairs Office.

“The vessel is now moving at a slow speed since they have already restored the power of the vessel and its propulsion. So the intention of the vessel is to proceed to her next port of call in Sandakan, Malaysia, while the coast guard vessel who is already in the area is now following and escorting the vessel.”

3. (Tagalog) Algier Ricafrente, Commander, Coast Guard Public Affairs Office.

“The latest report is that all the passengers are ok.”