EmailA Carnival cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew is stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine room fire broke out this morning, representatives for the cruise line said.
The fire was extinguished aboard the Carnival Triumph this morning and no injuries were reported. The ship, however, lost power and is relying on a back-up generator as it drifts 477 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, Carnival said in a statement.
The vessel is currently without propulsion and the ship is operating on emergency generator power, according to a statement from Carnival. The ship’s technical crew has determined the vessel will need to be towed to port. A tugboat is en route to the ship’s location and will tow the vessel to Progreso, Mexico, which is the closest port to the ship.
The ship is expected to arrive in Progreso Wednesday afternoon and guests will be flown from there back to the United States, Carnival said.
The Carnival Triumph departed Galveston on Thursday with 3,143 guests and 1,086 crew on board for a Mexican cruise and was due to return to the port on Monday.
The passengers have been asked to remain in the ship’s public areas and open decks for their comfort, and they are being provided with food and refreshments, Carnival said.
“All the passengers are staying in the public areas of the vessel and the open decks, cause there’s no air conditioning,” Coast Guard Lt. Julio Gonzalez said. “The air conditioning is not working right now.”
But he said it appears there is enough food and water for the passengers and crew on board.
“As of right now, it hasn’t been a concern for cruise line, for the cruise ship captain or for the company,” Gonzalez said.
Passengers aboard the wayward ship will receive a full refund, Carnival said.
Guests booked on the next voyage, scheduled for a Monday departure, have been given the option to cancel and receive a full refund, according to Carnival, or wait for further information.
The Coast Guard is sending a 210-foot cutter to monitor the situation.
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My thoughts are with the passengers and I hope that they get back to port safe and sound.
Based on my experience with Princess Cruise line, owned by Carnival, I know that Carnival will not want to offer adequate compensation to passengers who are going through an ordeal on the Triumph. Princess refused refunds to passengers who did not board a cruise on 10/27/13 which sailed into Hurricane Sandy — a voyage to hell. Carnival/Princess’ customer service is a combination of cheap and shabby. The best chance passengers have to get compensated is to band together and make demands before the ship docks. After the cruise is over and people are on their own the corporation will play hard ball and deny legitimate complaints ass if no one but the complainant has a problem with the cruise line.
Posted by: Eileen Flynn | February 10, 2013, 7:23 pm 7:23 pm
Update: The February 11th cruise has been canceled via an e-mail sent at 6PM CT. A full refund is expected for all passengers who were supposed to board tomorrow.
Posted by: Ty | February 10, 2013, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
This same ship had major propulsion problems on Jan 28th causing us to be delayed by 4 hours. It seems they didn’t fix the problems but tried to patch it and now this has happened. I wish everyone a safe return.
Posted by: Cathy Belliveau | February 10, 2013, 7:41 pm 7:41 pm
My parents went out on their first cruise on this ship. They just got a text out using another ship’s cell signal service. My mom said they are going to try to tow them back to Mexico and Carnival will try to fly all the passengers home. They are not expecting to be home until Wednesday at the earliest.
Posted by: Cynthia | February 10, 2013, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm
My son is onboard and managed to text (using signal from nearby ship) that they are being towed to Progresso and the cruise line will fly them back to Texas from there. Estimate getting into Progresso on Wednesday. Many are sleeping outside on decks. No AC/communications/electricity. He said the ship seems to be listing several degrees.
Posted by: Mel | February 10, 2013, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm
Will you please have someone who understands English check your headlines? The LITERAL meaning of the word “stranded” is “run aground”. A ship is STRANDED if it runs onto a STRAND (sand or gravel bar) and can’t get off again. This ship is NOT stranded, it is ADRIFT.
Posted by: Sunwyn Ravenwood | February 10, 2013, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
I was on Carnival Destiny last month about this time for four nights – Miami, Key West, Cozumel, Miami – before the ship was scheduled to go in for refurbishmant and emerge as Carnival Sunshine. “Technical problems” kept us tied up. Then we were informed that one of the aft thrusters was inoperable and we were going to have a tug help us get out (a first for me in 12 or so cruises).. But we couldn’t go to Cozumel as they don’t have tugboats and would instead go to Nassau after Key West. All passengers would get a $50 credit, or you could exit and get a full refund. I saw about 60 do so – could have been more. Three coast guard patrol boats (all with the .50 cal machine guns manned) and five sheriff’s and police boats made sure we had plenty of maneuvering room. Uneventful after that.
Sort of funny to see those NASCAR donuts from the tugs on that bright, clean white hull. We were the only ones in port that had them.
Posted by: Al | February 10, 2013, 10:15 pm 10:15 pm
Was on that cruise ship in October. Loved that ship, although I heard alot of complaints from others about stuff being broken like no hot water, an ac vent, etc. Hate to see them being towed back to Progresso, now there’s a dump for you. The nastiess port I’ve ever been too. . Anyway, I wish them luck and hope this don’t deter them from taking another cruise. Although this is the 3rd ship, that I know of from parent owned Carnival that’s made the news in the last few years.
Posted by: valerie | February 10, 2013, 10:21 pm 10:21 pm
This ship has been having problems since December and should have been pulled out of service and repaired. It is sad to see that it has come to this. I know because i was passenger on Jan 28, 2013.
Posted by: Judy Foster | February 10, 2013, 10:54 pm 10:54 pm
We were on this same ship on Jan 28th with the same mechanical issues that it has been having for a few months now. It delayed our cruise as well as enabled us from going to Cozumel. The only thing Carnival did was give each passenger a $65 credit to spend on the boat. All the does is ensures they get their money back. I feel that if they knew there was a problem they should have notified us sooner, and given us something more for the aggervation.
Posted by: Julie | February 10, 2013, 11:02 pm 11:02 pm
We were on the Triumph from Jan 28 to Feb 2 and it was having the same issues. We were only able to go to one port and it was Progresso. I hope they all return safe and carnival should compensate the passengers. They only refunded each person about $65 on our trip.
Posted by: Carrie Meza | February 10, 2013, 11:16 pm 11:16 pm
My Husband is on ship. He managed to call me using signal from another boat and told me that he won’t be home until Wednesday. They will be towed to Progresso, Mexico and then flown back to Texas. They have food and water. Praying for their safe return.
Posted by: Cindy | February 10, 2013, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
I proposed to my fiance on the Triumph. We both enjoyed that ship. Sorry to hear all those people are stuck out there with no AC/hot water/etc. Not the way you plan on ending your crusie. They should make it open bar for everyone… I would have to get drunk to go to sleep without AC. Hope they get home safe.
Posted by: Erik | February 10, 2013, 11:45 pm 11:45 pm
My sister is on the ship. I worry about the waters they are in. At least the US Coast Guard will be there with monitoring and protection. Praying everyone stays well. She, for one, gets really sea sick if conditions aren’t good. Good grief.
Posted by: pat cheatham | February 11, 2013, 12:22 am 12:22 am
We were on the Triumph on the Jan. 28 cruise. It was late getting to Galveston due to propulsion problems and then we had to spend two days in Progresso instead of going to Cozumel. Carnival would not tell us which port we would go to until after we set sail. I could go on & on about the inadequacies of Carnival on this cruise. Luckily it wasn’t our first cruise, or we would never go on another one. I feel so sorry for the people who are on the Triumph now and hope they all get home safely.
Posted by: Pat | February 11, 2013, 12:29 am 12:29 am
We were on the Triumph a few years ago. Absolutely loved that ship! Sounds like engineering needs some time to give the engine room a through “going-over” to make sure that it is as reliable as it used to be. My friends and family that were on it before would do it again as soon as it was repaired and inspected :-)
Posted by: Pappione | February 11, 2013, 12:54 am 12:54 am
If they are arriving at Progreso on Wednesday I seriously doubt they will be back in the States the same day. The airport in Merida (closest to Progreso) does not have many flights to the U.S. on a daily basis and considering there are 3000 passengers to accommodate that will take many flights. The other alternative is making the three hour drive to Cancun Airport which has plenty of flights coming to the U.S. daily.
Posted by: Charles | February 11, 2013, 1:29 am 1:29 am
I was on a cruise with carnival with an extended family vacation last year- we also had serious problems including no running water in 2 rooms (out of 4 that our family was in), the broadcast system did not work on our side of the boat so we missed the drills; they “lost” the records of a few hundred passengers that weren’t allowed to leave the ship for port call trips; there were mechanical problems that forced the ship to get assistance coming back into port and we didn’t arrive back until after 3:00 a.m. No compensation for the lack of running water and all the other problems. What someone wrote above is correct – they will do everything to stall and delay you and then ignore you after you return home. Carnival does not care about their customers at all – and we will NEVER cruise again because of our experiences.
Imagine our horror at seeing a news story on MSNBC after we arrived home about a woman that was raped by a crew member on our cruise, and Carnival didn’t report it to the authorities or cooperate with the investigation.
I hope those on the ship now get home safely. And then band together to sue Carnival.
Posted by: Boycott Dr. Knight | February 11, 2013, 1:51 am 1:51 am
@Boycott … The guests signed a contract that states that they cannot do a class-action suit. In fact, that contract makes it quite clear that they aren’t entitled to anything; it is out of “goodwill” (public relations) that the issues will be resolved.
Posted by: Pappione | February 11, 2013, 10:36 am 10:36 am
My son and I were on the Triumph from Jan. 24-28th. We were delayed by an hour getting to Cozumel. It was reported to us that a strong undercurrent kept the ship from running at full speed. On the way back, we were told that there was a propulsion issue. We got back into the port in Galveston at ~1400 instead of 0830. Carnival is refunding the fee we had to pay to change flights ($150).
Our shuttle driver in Galveston told us that the Triumph has had propulsion issues before, at least twice in Jan. One of the crew members on the shuttle said that they would be going right back out in 1-2 hrs.
We had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed the trip, but I do find it amazing that, despite these known issues with the Triumph, something as serious as a propulsion problem wouldn’t have been dealt with more extensively. Based on comments from others who sailed on the Triumph around the same time, this was clearly an ongoing issue. Seems like Carnival used duct tape and staples to keep the ship going until it was too much. With all the refunds, the inevitable repair and the bad PR, was it worth it?
Posted by: MAYNARD | February 11, 2013, 11:43 am 11:43 am
I think I’ll stay home! A Staycation! lol
Posted by: Martin | February 11, 2013, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm