How Safe are You on a Cruise Ship out in the Gulf of Mexico? | DENENA | POINTS

How Safe are You on a Cruise Ship out in the Gulf of Mexico?

Ever wonder how safe you really are once you board a cruise ship and head out onto open water? Cruises are billed as fun- and food-filled relaxing vacation voyages. But your journey over open water might not be as safe and fun as you might believe.

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You’ve probably already seen the news about the Carnival cruise ship, inaptly named the Triumph, that caught on fire in the engine room Sunday morning. The cruise had left Galveston on Thursday and was intended to return to that same port on Monday.

But the engine room fire knocked out the ship’s power. Our Galveston maritime accident attorneys point out that news reports have said that no one was injured in the fire, though they did not state the cause of it. But those same reports have carried accounts of cell phone exchanges between cruise passengers and family members ashore.

The passengers tell of water and feces on the decks and in the corridors because toilet service was suspended along with everything else. They tell of people sleeping on deck in tents because it’s cooler than in the powerless staterooms. They tell of people getting sick and throwing up, perhaps due to germ buildup in the scattered waste.

Stranded Carnival Cruise Ship is Currently Expected to be Towed into Port in Alabama

 

Another Carnival cruise ship had brought food and water supplies to the stranded passengers and crew of the Triumph as they waited to be towed into port. Originally the Triumph, stranded off the coast of Yucatan, Mexico, was to be towed by two boats into port in Progreso, Mexico. One towboat was from the United States and one was being dispatched from Mexico.

On Monday, our Galveston maritime accident attorneys remark that updated reports said the Triumph would be towed into Mobile, Alabama due to the direction of the prevailing current. Apparently the passengers will be flown home and receive a full refund that they can apply towards another cruise. We bet they can’t wait to board another cruise ship….

Carnival has admitted that the cruise ship in question had been having some electrical problems. Though the cruise line says those problems aren’t related to the fire. This implies even more endemic problems that they aren’t admitting.

You might remember that in November 2010, passengers and crew of another Carnival cruise ship were similarly stranded for several days at sea under markedly unpleasant conditions after a fire in the engine room. That ship ended up returning to San Diego. (Source: Adela Uchida, abc13.com, 2/11/13)

Deadly Cruise Ship Safety Drill gone Wrong in the Canary Islands

In another tragic cruise ship disaster over the last few days, the Thomson Majesty, a British-registered ship in port in the Spanish Canary Islands, lost five crewmembers to a deadly lifeboat drill meant to instruct passengers and crew on shipboard safety. Our Galveston maritime accident attorneys note that three otter crewmembers were hospitalized in the deadly accident. Apparently, a lifeboat containing some of the crew overturned and dropped into the sea upside down during the safety drill. No cause was given for this horrific mishap.

Learn about cruise ship safety drill requirements. Click on this article by our Galveston maritime accident attorneys.

Questions about Your Traumatic Accident or Injury at Sea? Contact the Galveston Maritime Accident Attorneys at Denena Points, PC for a Free and Confidential Legal Consultation

We offer a free initial legal consultation to discuss your accident and evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery for your injuries. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. Call us today at 281-369-4363 or get in touch through our online contact form. We’re here to help you find relief after you’ve suffered needless trauma and injury.