A Carnival Cruise Lines ship was stuck at
port in St. Maarten in the Caribbean on Thursday with
equipment trouble, a month after another Carnival vessel
was disabled in the Gulf of Mexico by a fire, trapping
thousands of passengers for nearly five days.
The captain of the Carnival Dream reported a problem with the emergency diesel generator, which controls the ship's propulsion, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said.
The Coast Guard first learned of a
problem aboard the ship from a passenger at about 3 a.m.
local time, said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss in Miami.
The ship was scheduled to leave St. Maarten on Thursday and was due back at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday, he said.
"Right now the passengers are being kept on board the ship for accountability reasons," Doss said. "They were scheduled to leave today so the captain has decided to have everybody remain on board at this time."
Carnival Corp & Plc, which operates Carnival Cruise and a number of other cruise lines, was not immediately available for comment.
Carnival Cruise Lines President and Chief Executive Gerry Cahill said earlier this week that the company had launched a comprehensive review of its entire fleet after a fire crippled the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico last month.
CNN reported that passengers aboard the Carnival Dream had contacted the cable news channel complaining of power outages and overflowing toilets, tales reminiscent of the troubles on the Carnival Triumph.
The Triumph was returning to Galveston, Texas, from Cozumel, Mexico, on the third day of a four-day cruise when an engine-room fire knocked out power and plumbing throughout most of the ship, which was carrying more than 4,200 people.
In a saga that received widespread media coverage, passengers described an overpowering stench on parts of the ship and complained that toilets and drainpipes had overflowed, soaking many cabins and interior passages in raw sewage.
The Triumph eventually was towed into port in Mobile, Alabama, by tugboats, creating another public relations nightmare for the cruise giant. Last year, its Costa Concordia luxury ship ran aground off the coast of Italy, with 32 people killed.
On Thursday, Doss said the Carnival Dream's captain had not confirmed the reports of malfunctioning toilets or power outages.
"And we asked," Doss said. "The captain has reported that the main generator is still working. That generator is what controls everything else on the ship, such as power (and) sewage."
The captain of the Carnival Dream reported a problem with the emergency diesel generator, which controls the ship's propulsion, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said.
The ship was scheduled to leave St. Maarten on Thursday and was due back at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Saturday, he said.
"Right now the passengers are being kept on board the ship for accountability reasons," Doss said. "They were scheduled to leave today so the captain has decided to have everybody remain on board at this time."
Carnival Corp & Plc, which operates Carnival Cruise and a number of other cruise lines, was not immediately available for comment.
Carnival Cruise Lines President and Chief Executive Gerry Cahill said earlier this week that the company had launched a comprehensive review of its entire fleet after a fire crippled the Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico last month.
CNN reported that passengers aboard the Carnival Dream had contacted the cable news channel complaining of power outages and overflowing toilets, tales reminiscent of the troubles on the Carnival Triumph.
The Triumph was returning to Galveston, Texas, from Cozumel, Mexico, on the third day of a four-day cruise when an engine-room fire knocked out power and plumbing throughout most of the ship, which was carrying more than 4,200 people.
In a saga that received widespread media coverage, passengers described an overpowering stench on parts of the ship and complained that toilets and drainpipes had overflowed, soaking many cabins and interior passages in raw sewage.
The Triumph eventually was towed into port in Mobile, Alabama, by tugboats, creating another public relations nightmare for the cruise giant. Last year, its Costa Concordia luxury ship ran aground off the coast of Italy, with 32 people killed.
On Thursday, Doss said the Carnival Dream's captain had not confirmed the reports of malfunctioning toilets or power outages.
"And we asked," Doss said. "The captain has reported that the main generator is still working. That generator is what controls everything else on the ship, such as power (and) sewage."
