In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 11, 2013, a small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013. The Carnival Triumph has been floating aimlessly about 150 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula since a fire erupted in the aft engine room early Sunday, knocking out the ship's propulsion system. No one was injured and the fire was extinguished. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard- Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell)
Stranded cruise passengers facing dirty conditions
In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 11, 2013, a small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013. The Carnival Triumph has been floating aimlessly about 150 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula since a fire erupted in the aft engine room early Sunday, knocking out the ship's propulsion system. No one was injured and the fire was extinguished. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard- Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell)
By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press /
February 12, 2013
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Cahill said Carnival has reserved more than 1,500 hotel rooms in Mobile and New Orleans for Thursday. The company plans to return passengers back to Houston Friday using charter flights.
A similar situation occurred on a Carnival cruise ship in November 2010. That vessel, named Splendor, was stranded with 4,500 people aboard after a fire in the engine room. When the passengers disembarked in San Diego, they described a nightmarish three days in the Pacific with limited food, power and bathroom access.
Cahill said the Spendor’s fire was different because it involved a ‘‘catastrophic explosion’’ in a diesel generator, and the Triumph’s fire had ‘‘some other cause.’’ He could not say what the economic impact will be due to the fire aboard the Triumph. The impact from the Splendor was $40 million, he said.
Carnival canceled the Triumph’s next two voyages, scheduled to depart Monday and Saturday. Passengers aboard the stranded ship will also receive a full refund.
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Associated Press writers Michael Graczyk and Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston, David Warren in Dallas and Christine Armario in Miami contributed to this report.
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