Yesterday morning, February 10, the cruise ship Carnival Triumph experienced a fire in the aft engine room while the vessel was sailing approximately 150 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The ship’s automatic fire extinguishing systems activated and the fire was successfully extinguished. There were no casualties or injuries to guests or crew.
The vessel is currently without propulsion in the Gulf of Mexico and awaiting the arrival of two tugboats which will tow the ship to Progreso, Mexico, which is the closest port to the ship’s current location. The ship is expected to arrive in Progreso late Wednesday and guests will be flown from Mexico back to the U.S. on chartered aircraft which the company is currently working to arrange.
Currently, a team consisting of additional technical crew and guest service personnel is en route to the vessel and is expected to arrive via boat later today. All appropriate authorities including U.S. Coast Guard have been notified and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter is presently on site next to the Carnival Triumph and in communication with the ship.
Update on Shipboard Services
The ship has maintained emergency generator power since the fire occurred and the technical team on board has been successful in gradually restoring auxiliary power to operate some basic hotel functions. Currently, public and cabin toilets are operational in certain sections of the ship, power has been restored to a limited number of elevators, and some power in the Lido dining area is providing for hot coffee and limited hot food service. Guests have been supplied with food and refreshments throughout yesterday and this morning and the ship has supplies on board to last until the vessel returns to port.
Yesterday afternoon, the Carnival Elation rendezvoused with the Carnival Triumph and supplied dinners for the guests on Carnival Triumph, along with additional provisions. Early this afternoon, the Carnival Legend will also be on site to do the same.
There are 3,143 guests and 1,086 crew on board.
Upcoming Voyages and Compensation
All guests on the current Carnival Triumph voyage will receive a full refund of the cruise, along with 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.
The next two voyages of Carnival Triumph, scheduled to depart Monday, February 11 and Saturday, February 16 are being cancelled. Guests scheduled to sail on either of those voyages will receive a full refund, reimbursement for non-refundable travel expenses and a 25 percent discount on a future three to five-day cruise. Carnival is in contact with impacted guests to advise them of the situation.
The current Carnival Triumph voyage departed Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, February 7 and was scheduled to return on Monday, Feb. 11.
