Passengers at S'pore Cruise Centre can't board World Legacy cruise after fire onboard

Passengers scheduled to board the World Legacy cruise on Friday morning, Feb. 20, at HarbourFront Centre were unable to do so, Shin Min Daily News reported.

About 30 passengers, who were scheduled to board at 8am, were seen at a counter at the Singapore Cruise Centre.

A signboard announcing that the cruise has been cancelled was reportedly put up.

According to Singapore Cruise Centre website, the World Legacy cruise ship was scheduled to arrive at 7am and depart at 10am on Friday.

Several police cars were seen parked at the ground floor.

A passenger, surnamed Cheng, 60, said he was supposed to the board the cruise with about a dozen friends.

But before he could do so, he received a text message informing him that the trip was cancelled.

He claimed that he was also informed that he had to pay a fee if he wanted to reschedule the trip.

He said: "I think it's unfair to us. Everyone took time out and were looking forward to travel, but this happened."

Early morning fire on World Legacy

A fire broke out on deck nine of the World Legacy, a Liberia-registered cruise ship that was en route to Singapore on Feb. 20 at around 4am.

An Indonesian crew member died, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said.

Passengers had to don life jackets, photos by MPA showed.

The blaze was extinguished by Singapore Civil Defence Force marine firefighters.

None of the 388 crew members aboard were Singaporeans.

Of the 271 passengers, 139 were Singaporeans. All the passengers have since been evacuated.

Four passengers were taken to hospital for further checks.

No other injuries among the remaining crew members were reported.

Based on preliminary investigations, the fire originated in a lounge area on deck nine of the vessel, MPA said.

The body of the deceased crew member has been transferred ashore.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

The World Legacy is anchored at Raffles Reserved Anchorage, located near Pulau Semakau and Pulau Senang.

The anchorage is a designated area within the Port of Singapore and is used for special purposes, such as vessel repairs and the storage and offloading of ships.

It was previously reported that World Legacy's maiden voyage in December 2025 was marred by issues.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News