Disabled cruise ship being towed to San Diego
Source: Agencies |
November 11, 2010, Thursday
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THE former fun seekers of the Carnival Splendor are cruising again - but just barely.
In a scenario likely none of its more than 3,000 passengers pictured when they planned their seven-day jaunt on the Mexican Riviera, the disabled cruise liner was being towed to San Diego, California, by tugboats.
Instead of a lavish seafood buffet, passengers were subsisting on Spam.
After two days adrift, the ship began moving again on Tuesday when the first of several Mexican tugboats arrived.
Rocking gently with the waves, the ship was pulled along slowly with a Coast Guard boat along one side and the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier on the ship's other side. There were no visible signs of damage.
The 290-meter vessel was expected to arrive in San Diego tonight, Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement.
The ship was 320 kilometers south of San Diego and about 71 kilometers off shore when an engine room fire on Monday morning killed its power and set it adrift.
No one was hurt, but the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew were left without air conditioning, hot water, cell phone or Internet service. The ship's auxiliary power allowed for working toilets and cold water.
US Navy Seahawk helicopters were ferrying supplies, including Spam, crab meat, croissants and Pop Tarts to the ship from the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier that reached the Splendor after it was diverted from training maneuvers to help.
The Splendor only had enough food to last through midday Tuesday because refrigerators on the ship stopped working after the power was knocked out, Navy Commander Greg Hicks said. But thousands of pounds of food was delivered by Tuesday night.
The US Coast Guard and Mexican Navy also sent resources to the ship.
The tugboats were originally set to take the Splendor to Ensenada, Mexico, but the cruise line changed its plans and will attempt to have it towed to San Diego, where hotel and flight arrangements would await the passengers, Carnival said.
If the process moves too slowly, it may still be taken to Ensenada, the statement said.
As of 9:30pm Tuesday, the Splendor was about 305 kilometers south of San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The ship was being towed by one Mexican tugboat while a smaller counterpart helped the ship maneuver.
A third tug boat, the US-based Monterey Bay, was scheduled to arrive late Tuesday night, the paper said.
Carnival Corp's stock was down about 1 percent on Tuesday.
The situation will be costly for Carnival, which is refunding passengers, offering vouchers for future cruises and may have to dry dock the ship if the damage is extensive.
"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in a statement.
In a scenario likely none of its more than 3,000 passengers pictured when they planned their seven-day jaunt on the Mexican Riviera, the disabled cruise liner was being towed to San Diego, California, by tugboats.
Instead of a lavish seafood buffet, passengers were subsisting on Spam.
After two days adrift, the ship began moving again on Tuesday when the first of several Mexican tugboats arrived.
Rocking gently with the waves, the ship was pulled along slowly with a Coast Guard boat along one side and the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier on the ship's other side. There were no visible signs of damage.
The 290-meter vessel was expected to arrive in San Diego tonight, Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement.
The ship was 320 kilometers south of San Diego and about 71 kilometers off shore when an engine room fire on Monday morning killed its power and set it adrift.
No one was hurt, but the nearly 4,500 passengers and crew were left without air conditioning, hot water, cell phone or Internet service. The ship's auxiliary power allowed for working toilets and cold water.
US Navy Seahawk helicopters were ferrying supplies, including Spam, crab meat, croissants and Pop Tarts to the ship from the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier that reached the Splendor after it was diverted from training maneuvers to help.
The Splendor only had enough food to last through midday Tuesday because refrigerators on the ship stopped working after the power was knocked out, Navy Commander Greg Hicks said. But thousands of pounds of food was delivered by Tuesday night.
The US Coast Guard and Mexican Navy also sent resources to the ship.
The tugboats were originally set to take the Splendor to Ensenada, Mexico, but the cruise line changed its plans and will attempt to have it towed to San Diego, where hotel and flight arrangements would await the passengers, Carnival said.
If the process moves too slowly, it may still be taken to Ensenada, the statement said.
As of 9:30pm Tuesday, the Splendor was about 305 kilometers south of San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The ship was being towed by one Mexican tugboat while a smaller counterpart helped the ship maneuver.
A third tug boat, the US-based Monterey Bay, was scheduled to arrive late Tuesday night, the paper said.
Carnival Corp's stock was down about 1 percent on Tuesday.
The situation will be costly for Carnival, which is refunding passengers, offering vouchers for future cruises and may have to dry dock the ship if the damage is extensive.
"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in a statement.
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