Feb. 11--A Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico with 3,000 passengers onboard will be towed to port after an engine fire Sunday morning left it drifting, a cruise line official said.
The fire occurred in the engine room of the Carnival Triumph, which is owned by the Miami-based company.
The fire left the ship with no propulsion, the cruise line says, CNN reported.
There were no injuries reported. Passengers and crew have food, water and electricity from generators. Another Carnival ship, the Elation, is transferring more food and drinks onto the Triumph
The cruise ship was in waters off the Yucatan Peninsula, heading back to Galveston, Texas, when the fire started, said Astevia Gonzalez from the Carnival Cruises family support team.
The ship's automatic fire extinguishing system kicked in and soon contained the blaze.
The fire still left the ship passengers and 1,000 crew members drifting about 150 miles off the Mexican coast, the cruise line said in a statement.
"The ship's technical crew has determined the vessel will need to be towed to port," Carnival said Sunday night. "A tugboat is en route to the ship's location and will tow the vessel to Progreso, Mexico, which is the closest port."
According to Gonzalez, the ship is expected to arrive in port Wednesday.
After they are towed to Progreso, those aboard the Carnival Triumph will be flown back to the United States at no cost to them, the cruise line said.
They will also get a full refund, credit that can be used toward a future trip and reimbursement for all expenses -- except casino and gift shop purchases -- for their current trip.
The vessel's next two departures, scheduled for Monday and Saturday, have been canceled. Those slated to be on those trips will get full refunds and discounts toward future cruises, the cruise line said.
Copyright 2013 - The Miami Herald
