Update No fun on this fun ship: carnival Triumph’s nightmarish voyage When passengers on board the 893 ft Carnival Triumph departed the crippled ship on Valentine’s Day at the Alabama Cruise Terminal, Mobile, AL, some laughed through tears, others kissed the ground and all were thankful to be off the stricken ship. What was supposed to be a fun four-day voyage—the ship departed the Galveston, Texas terminal on February 7 and was scheduled to return February 11— quickly turned into a nightmare for passengers when the ship lost power after an engine fire, rendering it dead in the water north of Merida, Mexico. With 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crew on board, Carnival jumped into action and had another Carnival ship, the 855 ft Carnival Elation, at the scene transferring food and beverage provisions to the vessel. According to Gerry Cahill, President & CEO, Carnival Cruise Lines, the ship was able to maintain emergency generator power, enabling the technical team on board to gradually restore auxiliary power to operate some basic hotel functions. But while guests were safe and, by all accounts, crew did their best to make sure everyone was as comfortable as possible, little to no power on The Resolve Pioneer serves as the primary tow vessel during the Carnival Triumph towing operation board meant there was limited power supply for recharging cell phones, limited hot food service, no air conditioning was emanating from the overflowing human and few operational toilets. waste. The lack of working toilets would go on to be the national media’s focus when TOWING TO POrT The original plan was to tow the ship to interviewing the disembarking passengers. Some passengers went on to say that they Progreso, Mexico, but when strong curslept under makeshift tents on top of the rents kicked in, the ship began to drift north ship’s deck to get away from the smell that prompting Carnival to tow the ship to
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Mobile, AL. Resolve Marine Group, Fort Lauderdale, FL, took part in the salvage operation, deploying its 207-foot Anchor Handling Tug (AHTS) Resolve Pioneer. Resolve Pioneer served as the primary tow vessel and along with other tugs steered the ship into the Mobile port. Resolve’s tug, the Lana Rose, also served as a provisional tug during the operation. It was loaded with water, food and other supplies such as generators that were lifted by helicopter, from the tug to the Triumph’s upper deck. Once in Mobile passengers were given the option of taking a bus to local hotels in Mobile, AL or New Orleans, LA where they could spend the night, or taking the bus back to Galveston. As for the Carnival Triumph, after passengers disembarked, the ship was towed to BAE Ship Repair, Mobile, AL. At press time no contract details were available. The investigation into the fire is being led by the Bahamas Maritime Administration with participation by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board. cOmPeNSaTION In a statement Cahill said, all guests would receive a full refund of the cruise, and transportation expenses. “In addition, they will receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage, as well as reimbursement of all shipboard purchases during the voyage, with the exception of gift shop and casino charges.” As further compensation, passengers will also receive an additional $500 per person.
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