A Carnival cruise ship that was left stranded over 240 kilometres off the coast of Mexico after an engine room fire has finally limped back to port, CNN reports.
Two tugs towed the 274 metre cruise liner 'Carnival Triumph' into Mobile harbour in Alabama, Thursday night, after a hellish four days trapped in the Gulf of Mexico with dwindling supplies and failing amenities for the 3,100 passengers.
The news agency reported cruise passengers were complaining about the lack of air conditioning, hot cabins, cold food and toilets that wouldn't flush.
Much-needed supplies and a third tug headed across the Gulf yesterday, to "try to make the end of the miserable voyage of the 'Carnival Triumph' as comfortable as possible for hungry travelers who have waited in lines for hours for food and other necessities", said CNN.
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Lines said Wednesday afternoon it has dispatched another tug to help two others tow the disabled and befouled cruise ship to port in Mobile, Alabama, with US Coast Guard escorts on the scene.
The cruise line also said it would compensate passengers USD500 each in addition to full fare refunds, discounts on future cruises, partial on-board expense coverage, and flights home.
Carnival said on its Facebook page that it decided against sending another ship to pick up passengers because towing the ship to port was the safest option, reported CNN.
The Coast Guard delivered equipment to the struggling ship Wednesday afternoon, including a generator and electric cables.
After a fire broke out in the engine room, automatic sprinklers extinguished the blaze, but the flames paralysed the ship's propulsion system, leaving it temporarily marooned and vulnerable to currents and winds.
The 'Triumph' navigated the "safety fairway," or the corridor into Mobile Bay, late Wednesday night. A pilot from the Port of Mobile will then board the ship and guide it to dock, the same official said.
Carnival said it has reserved and arranged approximately 100 motor coaches, more than 1,500 New Orleans hotel rooms, multiple charter flights from New Orleans to Houston on Friday and transportation from Houston to the Port of Galveston so that guests may retrieve their cars if they drove to the port.
The cruise ship left Galveston for a Caribbean tour last week and was scheduled to arrive back there Monday.
Much of the ship's electrical power went down in the fire, causing widespread malfunctions, including taking out sanitary systems. The fire also cut power to air conditioning, and the ship experienced very hot conditions, with passengers flocking to the deck for fresher, cooler air.
According to CNN, the fire also knocked out the ship's stabilisation system, causing it to list. The fire is at least the second problem for the ship since late January, when it had an issue with its propulsion system, according to a notice posted on the website of Carnival senior cruise director John Heald. It is also not the first fire to disable one of the cruise line's ships.
In 2010, the Carnival cruise ship 'Splendor' lost power after an engine room fire, leaving it drifting off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The USS 'Ronald Reagan' ferried supplies for the ship's passengers and crew as the ship was towed to San Diego.
A US Coast Guard marine inspector told CNN that the 'Triumph' passed inspection last year, earning a "certificate of compliance" on May 17, 2012.
The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board has reportedly launched an investigation into the cause of the engine room fire, but because the 'Carnival Triumph' is a Bahamian-flagged vessel, the Bahamas Maritime Authority must act as the primary investigative agency.
Following the ordeal, the 'Triumph' will not host any cruises mid-April. Carnival has reportedly cancelled over a dozen voyages scheduled between February 21 and April 13. That makes a total of 14 scratched trips. The cruise line already had eliminated voyages slated for February 11 and February 16.
In a statement, Carnival vowed that customers who paid for those 14 trips will receive a full refund of their cruise fare, non-refundable transportation costs, pre-paid shore excursions, gratuities, and government fees and taxes. In addition, Carnival said it would offer the inconvenienced travelers a 25% discount on a future three- to five-day Carnival cruise or a 15% discount on a six- to seven-day cruise, while protecting travel agent commissions.
In a blog post titled What cruise lines don't want you to know on CNN, maritime lawyer James M Walker disputed the cruise industry's claim that such ghastly events are uncommon, referencing the 2010 fire aboard the 'Carnival Splendor', similar disabling incidents for the 'Costa Allegra', the 'Bahamas Celebration' and the 'Ocean Star', as well as a fire aboard the 'Queen Mary II' following a "catastrophic explosion".
Mr Walker opined that due to the largest cruise companies registering and flagging their vessels at foreign ports, the industry can go on unregulated, ignoring minimum requirements set by US legislation. This results in lapses on safety standards, vessel inspections and crew working conditions and wages.
"They offer low-price cruise fares to get the passengers aboard and then make their profits from alcohol sales; casino, spa and photography activities; and shore excursions," Mr Walker said.
Source: CNN
Image Source: US Coast Guard
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