The luxury cruise liner Voyager, which was in Malta only last Saturday, called for assistance early yesterday after losing communications and most of its power in a severe storm, according to Reuters.

No injuries to passengers were reported.

The Voyager sailed into Grand Harbour at 1 p.m. last Saturday, after arriving from Dubrovnik, and left at 8 p.m. bound for Tunisia.

The Bahamas-registered liner with about 732 passengers on, was battered by force 11 gales and waves 10-15 metres high while en route to Barcelona from Tunisia.

The British-registered gas tanker Gimi was diverted to the area after the liner sought help at about 0800 GMT, the sea rescue service in the southern French port of Toulon said.

"The ship is not yet in distress and is trying to continue to Sardinia," an official from Toulon's Crossmed centre said.

Spain said tug boats from Valencia and Palma de Mallorca were deployed to help the Voyager.

France, which is coordinating the rescue effort, has sent a navy patrol aircraft and a Customs vessel that were on exercise near Spain's Balearic Islands.

A Spanish maritime rescue spokesman said the Voyager was stranded about 75 miles southeast of Menorca but there was no need yet to evacuate the vessel, Reuters added.

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