A fire on a Carnival cruise ship, the Liberty, has left 3,346 passengers stranded at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The cruise company was still trying to figure out what happened exactly while making arrangements to fly everyone home.
A tweet from TravelPulse.com said there was an engine room fire.
The cruise, which originated from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was docked at St. Thomas for a port call on Monday when the fire happened,
reported the Miami Herald. Carnival spokesman Jennifer de la Cruz said there was no information on damage but somehow knew the ship could sail with limitations.
"There were no injuries to guests or crew as a result of the fire which was extinguished by the ship's automated suppression system," said a
Carnival statement. "All hotel services including air conditioning, elevators, toilets, galleys, etc. are fully functional and the ship's normal array of activities, entertainment, dining options and programming are being offered."
Guests are being provided a full refund, a 50 percent discount on a future cruise and $150 credit on their shipboard accounts, noted Carnival.
"All guests will now be flown home from St. Thomas," said Carnival. "Given the limited availability of commercial flights, guests will primarily be transported via chartered aircraft."
Carnival said the Liberty had 1,150 crew members on board.
Cruise ship officials told the Herald they needed permission from the U.S. Coast Guard and the vessel's flag state of Panama before ship could leave St. Thomas.
"For now the ship has a maximum speed limitation, which would impact the scheduled itinerary," said de la Cruz. "Going to San Juan will make it easier to get guests home given the more substantial airlift from San Juan."
One guest told
Reuters she was trying to look on the bright side.
"I could feel worse but I still see it as a free cruise," said Elaine Myers, 21, a student from Kansas City, Missouri. "What is important is that nobody died or got hurt in the fire."
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