Carnival Freedom Battles Fire in Bahamas

Carnival Freedom Battles Fire in Bahamas

he Carnival Freedom suffered a fire on Saturday afternoon while sailing in stormy weather in the Bahamas.

Unconfirmed eyewitness reports posted to social media said the fire was due to a lightning strike, with the crew quickly getting the fire under control and eventually putting it out.

Video posted from passengers aboard showed the portside of Carnival’s whale-tail funnel on fire. Carnival Cruise Lien said on social media that part of the funnel had then fallen onto the open deck.

The ship reported the fire just after 3:00 p.m. local time while it was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a cancelled call to Princess Cay due to weather.

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Carnival said the U.S. Coast Guard has been notified and that it had activated the company’s response team to support the ship’s crew.

“There are no operational issues with the ship’s systems and the ship is expected to arrive to Freeport on Sunday morning,” Carnival said in a statement posted on social media.

“The captain has made multiple announcements to guests and crew and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from all open decks. There are no injuries. The port side portion of the funnel has fallen onto Deck 10 and the fire response is putting out the flames.”

Carnival also said it did not expect any impact to the next Carnival Freedom voyage scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Monday, March 25.

Of note, the this is the same ship that had a funnel fire in 2022, with Carnival having to replace the funnel at a drydock in Spain late last year.

Norwegian Adjusts Pride of America’s Itineraries in Hawaii

Norwegian Adjusts Pride of America’s Itineraries in Hawaii

Norwegian Cruise Line informed booked guests of itinerary changes for the upcoming cruises onboard the Pride of America.

Sailing inter-island cruises in Hawaii, the U.S.-flagged vessel will see its visits to Kahului replaced by overnight stays at Hilo.

The change is related to the wildfires that are currently affecting Maui and impacts all cruises set to depart through August 26, 2023.

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the wildfires currently impacting the town of Lahaina in Maui,” Norwegian Cruise Line said in a prepared statement.

“We have a very special relationship with the people and islands of Hawaii, as we sail to the beautiful state year-round. It is a magical destination and one that is highly sought out by our guests for its natural beauty, culture and unparalleled experiences,” Norwegian continued noting that the “safety and security of guests and crew” remains a top priority.

As a result, the company decided to replace the visit to Maui with an overnight call to Hilo. The decision aims to avoid stressing out local resources in the region, Norwegian added.

With the change, Pride of America’s revised itinerary will also include scenic cruising past the Napali Coast, as well as an additional overnight in Nawiliwili, Kauai.

The adjusted itinerary was created in hopes of “continuing to provide the best opportunity to explore the beauty and natural wonder of the Hawaiian Islands, Norwegian Cruise Line said.

The shore excursions booked through NCL for Kahului will be automatically cancelled, the company added, with a full monetary refund of the fare paid set to be returned to the original form of payment used at the time of the reservation.

Sailing roundtrip from Honolulu, Pride of America’s regular seven-night cruise in Hawaii also includes visits to Kona.

MSC Cruises ship catches fire while docked in Greek port; no injuries among skeleton crew

Cruiser MSC Lirica is pictured on fire, while docked in the port of the Greek island of Corfu on March 12, 2021.

According to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking service, the ship was positioned at the port of Corfu and had been there since March 1. 

Facebook user Μαρια Σκουρτη streamed a live video of the ship as it was going up in flames.

In the near hour-long stream, huge black plumes of smoke can be seen billowing from the middle of the ship's starboard, or right, side. Later, a close-up short reveals orange flames and rescue teams arriving on the scene.

Click the Image above for the Video

MSC Lirica can carry up to 2,548 passengers and 752 crew members when in full operation, according to the cruise line. The ship is 902 feet long and weighs 65,591 tons.

This story was first reported by Cruise Industry News.