Carnival Triumph Fire, Cruise Ship Adrift [VIDEO]: 4,200 Vacationers and Crew Stranded in Gulf of Mexico after Engine Room Blaze, No Injuries
According to several recent reports, the Carnival Triumph (a luxury cruise ship owned by Carnival Corp.) caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday (Feb. 10) after the ship's engine went ablaze. While the engine room fire was quickly extinguished and caused no injuries, approximately 4,200 vacationers and crew members were left stranded adrift 150 miles off of southern Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. The U.S. Coast Guard was immediately notified, and a tugboat was allegedly on its way to drag the ship back to the Mexican Port of Progresso on Monday. Carnival Cruises support team representative Astevia Gonzalez said that the ship is expected to be towed back to port by Wednesday (Feb. 13).
The cruise ship fire erupted in the engine room early Sunday morning. The flames were quickly contained by the ship's automatic fire extinguishing system, but ultimately left the Triumph without any means of propulsion. Carnival Corp. confirms that the vessel is currently being powered by an emergency generator. None of the 3,143 guests or 1,086 crew were reportedly injured during the fire.
The 893-foot long Triumph is now left adrift in the seas of the Gulf of Mexico. The ship set sail from Galveston, Texas on Thursday and was scheduled to arrive back on Monday, Feb. 11. Enough electricity, food, and water is left on the ship for all passengers until help arrives.
Carnival released this statement on Sunday evening: "The ship's technical crew has determined the vessel will need to be towed to port. A tugboat is en route to the ship's location and will tow the vessel to Progreso, Mexico, which is the closest port." It also states, "Another Carnival ship, the Carnival Elation, is currently on scene and transferring additional food and beverage provisions to the Carnival Triumph."
The U.S. Coast Guard sent out its multi-mission cutter, the Vigorous, to aid those left stranded on the drifting cruise ship. Once the tugboat brings the Triumph back to Progreso, all passengers will then be flown back to the United States at no extra charge. Carnival insists that all vacationers will receive a full refund and a credit that may be used toward a future trip. Passengers will also receive reimbursement for all expenses on the trip, except from casino games or gift shop purchases.
The Triumph was scheduled to set sail again on Monday (Feb. 11) and Saturday (Feb. 16) but those trips have been cancelled. According to Carnival Cruise Lines representatives, those customers will also receive full refunds and discounts toward future cruises.