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.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6349626885112 

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.

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.

AIDAnova Delivery Pushed Back

AIDAnova Delivery Pushed Back

AIDA Cruises has announced the AIDAnova will not be delivered as scheduled, following a notification from Meyer Werft.

As a result, a number of preview cruises will not take place, but the ship is still on schedule to sail its maiden voyage on Dec. 2 from Hamburg to the Canary Islands.

"Our aim is to use AIDAnova for a ship that not only complies with the usual high AIDA quality but also inspires our guests in many product areas with new innovations," AIDA said, in a prepared statement.

Earlier this week, a small fire broke out onboard the ship but was quickly contained, with local media suggesting it may have been arson. As a result, sea trials were also said to be delayed. 

Fire not expected to affect Norwegian Joy delivery

Norwegian Joy

A fire over the weekend in the construction shed where the Norwegian Joy is being assembled should not impact the delivery of the ship next spring, a spokesman for the Meyer Werft shipyard said.

The blaze took the yard’s fire brigade about 30 minutes to extinguish, spokesman Peter Hackmann said.

“Lucky us, it was no big deal. Damage is very limited,” Hackmann said.

The 3,900-passenger Norwegian Joy is the next Breakaway Plus ship to be delivered to Norwegian. It is being designed for use in China.

Fire Extinguished After Outbreak Onboard Costa Cruise Ship

Apparently a fire broke out onboard the Costa neoClassica which is operated by the European based Costa Cruises.

According to reports the fire broke out in the ships funnel while the 56,800 gross ton ship was sailing in the Red Sea yesterday evening (December 23rd). The good news is that the fire was extinguished by crew personnel quickly and it didn’t affect any onboard operations.

Cruise hive got in touch with Costa Cruises and gave us the following statement:

Yesterday at about 9.25pm Italy time a fire has been detected coming out of the funnel on board Costa neoClassica while sailing the Red Sea, destination Aqaba on her planned route to Indian Ocean.

The shipboard personnel promptly intervened and the fire was quickly extinguished. The safety of guests and crew was never put at risk and no injury was reported. As a precaution and as per procedures General Emergency signals have been given and the released shortly thereafter.

All ship services have always been working and have never been stopped. The ship reached her destination port in Aqaba and is now berthed. Proper investigations on root causes are in progress and situation is normal.

According to the assessments now being performed, operations of the ship will be modified if needed. The Costa neoClassica has been refurbished in Dec 2014 she can host a total of 1,680 Guests, she is 53,000 gT. The ship is currently performing a 25 days cruise to Indian Ocean.

The Costa neoclassica departed Savona, Italy on December 18th on a 28-day voyage to multi destinations that will end up at Mauritius on January 11th 2015. An investigation is now underway by Costa on the cause of the fire and there is not expected to be any further delay.

The Costa neoClassica was previously known as Costa Classica and has recently undergone a multi million Euro upgrade. The vessel had been in dry dock since 18th December.

Quantum of the Seas damaged in ship fire

Quantum of the Seas, the next addition to Royal Caribbean's fleet, has suffered damage after a fire broke out on one if its decks.

The vessel is still being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and is due to enter service at the end of October, with an initial season scheduled in the Bahamas over the winter before it relocates to Shanghai in China from next spring.

According to reports, the blaze broke out in a cabin on deck three of the 167,800-ton vessel, which will be capable of carrying up to 4,180 passengers.

Local fire services were called to the shipyard and were able to tackle the fire in a short amount of time, however two people were transferred to the local hospital in Papenburg to be treated for smoke inhalation.

It is estimated that the damage to Quantum of the Seas will cost approximately €50,000 (£40,300) to remedy.

The first Quantum-class vessel from Royal Caribbean, it will be followed next spring by sister ship Anthem of the Seas, which will sail out of Southampton.

Norovirus outbreaks said to hurt cruise industry’s image

By Tom Stieghorst

Outbreaks of norovirus early this year on several cruise ships, including Explorer of the Seas, led to a decline in the trust in cruising and intent to purchase a cruise, according to a Harris poll.

The consumer polling company released an update of its research last year that showed a decline in the industry’s image after the widely publicized Carnival Triumph fire.

Harris said polling done Feb. 10-14 found that perceptions were trending upwards in January, although still below levels before the Triumph incident. But the norovirus outbreaks reversed those gains.

Harris said the average perceived quality score for the cruise industry was down 11% compared with before the Triumph incident, with trust down 12% and purchase intent down 13%.

The seven brands in the survey all declined in at least one of the measures after the norovirus incidents, and most were down from pre-Triumph levels to begin with.

“We’ve all heard the saying that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Deana Percassi, vice president and public relations research consultant for Nielsen, which acquired Harris in February. “But the inverse also holds true. In a field as crowded as the cruise industry, bad press for a small handful of brands — or even a single one — can have negative repercussions for major players across the board.”

Boeing to investigate wiring defect in Dreamliner

Boeing has said that it will investigate a wiring defect that was found in a fire extinguisher system on three of its 787 Dreamliner jets.

The fault was found on jets operated by Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA).

The problem - the latest in a series of setbacks for Boeing's 787 - was first discovered during pre-flight maintenance of a jet at Tokyo airport, an ANA spokeswoman said.

Rival Japan Airlines turned back a 787 travelling from Tokyo to Helsinki to check the wiring after ANA reported the fault on Wednesday.

It is the latest issue to hit the 787 jet after battery problems grounded the entire fleet earlier this year.

Boeing said it was aware of the latest issue and was looking into the matter.

"The safety of those flying on Boeing aeroplanes is our top priority. We will thoroughly examine this issue and take the appropriate steps," the firm said in a statement.

In July, a fire broke out on a 787 Dreamliner jet operated by Ethiopian Airlines while it was parked at Heathrow airport.

The fire was traced to the upper rear part of the plane where a transmitter used to locate aircraft after a crash is located.

US carrier United Airlines also found a pinched wire during an inspection of one of its six 787s.

Boeing has since asked airlines to carry out inspections of the transmitters.

It has also asked operators of other aircraft models - the 717, Next-Generation 737, 747-400, 767 and 777 - to inspect aircraft.

Grandeur of the Seas Returns

Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur returns to BaltimoreBy: Marilyn Green

Cruise

Grandeur of the Seas was welcomed her homeport of Baltimore flying an historic flag. // (c) 2013 Royal Caribbean International

On July 12, Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas was welcomed back to her homeport of Baltimore, after six weeks’ recovery from a May 27 fire in the Bahamas, which is still under investigation.

Grandeur previously had a five-week, $48 million revitalization last year, adding balconies and Oasis-class features including flat-screen televisions, an outdoor movie screen and a redesigned atrium equipped for aerial shows, which received heavy applause as guests captured the Four Seasons spectacular. There are also new digital signs by the elevators that take guests through the daily schedule, give directions and display restaurant menus, all in several languages.

But only a few weeks after the ship started service out of Baltimore, the fire broke out. It was extinguished without injuries, although the passengers were called to their muster stations as a precaution. The ship never lost its power, propulsion or communications.

As Grandeur sailed back into Baltimore in July, the ship flew the historic Star-Spangled Banner flag as it passed Fort McHenry, as well as the U.S. Navy’s “Don’t Give up the Ship” flag flown by Commodore Perry during the War of 1812. Clearly, agents took up the message: Royal executives hosted 1,600 travel partners on a July 12 sailing prior to the resumption of revenue service, and attendees were warm in their praise.

The city was even more enthusiastic in its welcome for Grandeur in the wake of the announcement that Carnival Pride would be leaving the homeport in 2014. Grandeur of the Seas is committed to year-round cruises from Baltimore until at least April 2015.

RCCL overcoming negative media coverage of cruising, says Fain

By Jerry Limone

Despite the “unrelenting pressure of a deluge of negative publicity” on the cruise industry this year, things are looking up, said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Speaking during RCCL’s second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Fain said the company is overcoming what he called “the CNN effect” of media scrutiny on events that have occurred this year, including fires on the Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Triumph and the Carnival Dream stalling.

Negative coverage “clearly hurt our bookings, and unfortunately to a greater extent than we originally understood,” Fain said.

The company’s net income for the second quarter was $24.7 million, compared with a net loss of $3.7 million in the same period a year earlier.
The company managed a profit despite the Grandeur fire in May, which resulted in the cancellation of six cruises. Royal Caribbean estimated that the financial impact of the Grandeur incident was about $11 million in the second quarter (an approximate $11 million hit is expected for the third quarter, too).

An unexpected noncash charge of about $15 million also was a second-quarter setback. The charge occurred because the company needed to readjust liability in its affinity credit card program.

Still, Royal Caribbean was profitable, and Fain credited robust onboard spending, effective cost control and the performance of its largest, newest ships — the Oasis and the Allure of the Seas.

Looking ahead, Fain said that bookings for the rest of 2013 and 2014 are ahead of where Royal Caribbean was at this time last year, in terms of load factor and pricing.

The company is still dealing with the effects of negative publicity from incidents in the industry that occurred earlier this year, Fain said, including “competitive pricing.”

However, he added, “We can already see indications that [the media coverage] factor is waning, and this is most encouraging going forward.”

Addressing concerns about cruise safety, Fain said, “I think most of you understand that the recent incidents in our industry are an aberration from an otherwise exemplary safety record over many decades.”

Heathrow shut after Boeing Dreamliner 787 fire

No passengers were on board at the time of the fire

Runways at London's Heathrow airport have closed after a fire on a parked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet.

Arrivals and departures were suspended after the incident at 16:30 BST, a spokesman for the airport said. No passengers were aboard at the time.
Fifty Dreamliners worldwide were grounded in January because of battery malfunctions.
Boeing later modified the jets with new batteries and flights resumed in April.
An Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner named the Queen of Sheba - the same plane involved in the Heathrow incident - flew from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on the first commercial flight since the grounding.
Pictures of the Heathrow fire on Twitter show an aircraft close to a building and surrounded by fire vehicles. London Fire Brigade said its crews were standing by to assist Heathrow staff.
Fire-retardant foam appeared to have been sprayed at the airliner, but no damage to the aircraft was immediately apparent.
Production difficulties
A Heathrow spokesman said: "We can confirm there has been an on-board internal fire involving an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft and the airport's emergency services are in attendance.
"The aircraft was parked on a remote parking stand. There were no passengers on board and there are no reported injuries at this time.

"Arrivals and departures are temporarily suspended while airport fire crews attend to this incident. This is a standard procedure if fire crews are occupied with an incident."

The airport is advising passengers to check the status of their flights with the airlines.
The Metropolitan Police said: "Police at Heathrow were alerted to a fire on a plane. Emergency services are in attendance.
"At this time it is believed no one was on board and there are no reports of any injuries. The fire is being treated as unexplained."
The Dreamliner's battery problems followed production difficulties for the aircraft, marketed as a quiet, fuel-efficient aircraft carrying between 201 and 290 passengers on medium-range routes.
It was due to enter passenger service in 2008 but it was not until October 2011 that the first commercial flight was operated by Japan's All Nippon Airways.
British Airways is due to take delivery of the first two of its 24 Dreamliners, and Virgin Atlantic is to get the first of its 16 Dreamliners in September 2014.

A Boeing spokesman said: "We're aware of the event. We have Boeing personnel on the ground at Heathrow and are working to fully understand and address this."

Passengers refunded as Grandeur of the Seas repairs continue

Royal Caribbean has been forced to re-accommodate a number of guests due to embark on tomorrow's Grandeur of the Seas sailing as work on the ship continues following a fire.

A blaze, which engulfed part of the ship on May 27 and took about two hours to extinguish,caused several sailings to be cancelled.

The ship is setting sail from Baltimore to Bermunda tomorrow but the occupants of the 78 staterooms affected by the fire have be given a full refund with finishing touches still being carried out.

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said: "In the past weeks, Grandeur of the Seas staff and crew and many others have worked tirelessly to restore the onboard spaces that were affected by a fire in May.

"Every member of Grandeur of the Seas’ staff and crew demonstrated a heroic response that night and has since been dedicated to bringing the ship back into service.

"While Grandeur of the Seas is ready to welcome guests again, there are still a few finishing touches that remain to be done. We unfortunately had to re-accommodate some guests on the July 12 cruise to later sailings so that additional needed workers may stay onboard in order to complete these remaining tasks as quickly as possible.

"We sincerely appreciate our guests understanding as we ensure that Grandeur of the Seas continues to deliver an unmatched vacation experience from Baltimore, Maryland."

The affected guests have also been given a 25% cruise credit for future sailings.

A muster drill that's life-saving and lively

By Tom Stieghorst

And of course one of the lessons from the Costa Concordia tragedy, which occurred just hours after leaving an embarkation port, was the need to conduct a muster drill before sailing and to compel every passenger’s participation during the drill.

Have you have used your cell phone or tablet during a cruise ship safety demonstration?

During a recent muster drill, a crew member stopped me from using my phone to send a tweet. No pun intended: It was the right call. Passengers are supposed to be paying attention to the safety message.

Except that there were long stretches when nothing happened. No instruction, no videos, nothing but waiting. Some sort of communication seemed to be happening behind the scenes. And granted, sometimes it takes more than a few minutes for everybody to report to their assigned muster stations. But in the meantime, passengers are cooling their heels. 

Getting attention for routine safety messages is a problem that has plagued many companies in the business of transportation. On every flight, airline personnel are required to tell passengers something that most of them have already heard. The natural impulse for most listeners is to tune it out. Social media and portable devices (cameras not forgotten) are just the latest means of avoiding a mind-numbing couple of minutes.

The recent fire on Grandeur of the Seas offers a reminder of why it's worth it to pay attention to the safety message. Passengers roused at 2:50 a.m. had at least some idea of what was happening, where to go, what to do.

But still, some thought and effort should go into the presentation of these life-saving exercises. Perhaps some sort of interactivity is called for. Or a quiz at the end. A cruise credit for the passenger that correctly demonstrates they’ve been paying attention.

Cruise lines also owe it to passengers to make the drill as effective as possible. Please keep it moving, to minimize the boredom. Make whatever is said audible, especially announcements on the ship’s public address system. 

And try to involve the crew in communicating to small groups of guests. The more personal the safety demonstrations are, the more attention and respect they will command.

And now one long tone signals the end to the muster drill. Back to your phones!

Six more Grandeur cruises cancelled after fire

A further six summer cruises have been cancelled by Royal Caribbean International to allow for repairs to fire damaged Grandeur of the Seas.

The blaze burnt out what the line described as an “industrial area” at the aft of the ship which had only just re-entered service after a refit.

The 2,446-passenger capacity vessel is not expected to return to service on seven-night itineraries from Baltimore until July 12.

The vessel was being moved from Freeport in the Bahamas to a berth at Grand Bahama shipyard yesterday for the repairs to be carried out. A cruise due to depart on Friday had already been cancelled.

Parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises said: “The company has taken the vessel out of service and expects that it will take approximately six weeks to complete the repair efforts.”

The line laid on 11 charter flights to fly passengers from the vessel’s aborted cruise back to Baltimore. Others were travelling by ferry to Florida and then being transferred by  train or coach.

People booked on the cancelled cruises are being offered refunds and 25% future cruise discounts.

Royal Caribbean estimates that the direct financial impact will be a reduction of $0.10 per share.

Senior vice president and chef financial officer Jason Liberty said: "The extent of the financial impact was relatively high because the affected sailings were during the premium summer season."

Royal Caribbean International president and chief executive Adam Goldstein said: "We are gratified that no one was hurt and that the safety and comfort systems performed exactly as designed.

"I extend my appreciation to our crew who performed so well, as well as to our guests who have been co-operative, understanding and highly complimentary of the shipboard team throughout.”

FIRE on board a Royal Caribbean Ship.

'Passengers were throwing up, crying... I thought we were going to sink!' The terrifying moment fire engulfed Royal Caribbean cruise and crew got ready to abandon ship

• A fire broke out aboard a Royal Caribbean ship on Monday morning but was extinguished about two hours later with no injuries reported
• The Grandeur of the Seas, which left Baltimore on Friday, never lost power and was able to sail into port in Freeport, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon
• The company said the more than 2,200 passengers will be flown from the Bahamas back to Baltimore where the trip began
• Royal Caribbean said all guests and 796 crew were safe and accounted for

A huge fire broke out on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last night causing panic as 2,000 passengers abandoned their rooms and prepared to get into life boats. 

The Grandeur of the Seas was forced to return to port this morning after the rear of the ship caught fire, sending smoke into several hallways as passengers waited in assembly stations for more than four hours. 

On Monday afternoon, Royal Caribbean announced that they were reversing a prior decision and cancelling the cruise as it could no longer safely take passengers to the Bahamas, its intended destination. 

'It was obviously the most terrifying thing in my life,' says passenger Katie Coleman according to CBS News. 'There was panic on deck as passengers watched lifeboats being lowered into the water.'

Scroll down for video

Passengers report that amid the chaos life preservers were distributed to several people as they waited in safety areas

The fire broke out on deck 3 and was quickly extinguished but the damage caused Royal Caribbean to cancel the cruise bound for the Bahamas

Startling photos of the ship emerged on social media showing the entire rear of the vessel charred and destroyed.

Royal Caribbean said that the fire began at 2,50am and was extinguished about two hours later with no injuries reported.

The ship had sailed from Baltimore on Friday and arrived in Freeport, Bahamas, Monday afternoon.

Royal Caribbean announced that the 2,224 passengers would be receiving a full refund and a gift certificate from the company. They said all 2,224 guests and 796 crew were safe and accounted for.

Bang Warren was one of the passengers who had to evacuate her room as a warning horn blared over the sound system. 

She described the scene chaotic to The Baltimore Sun, saying: 'A lot of people were passing out with fear.' 

Bang also said she saw crew members distributing oxygen masks and life vests. 'I know some children were vomiting,' she said.

Grandeur of the Seas passenger Danielle Miller initially thought the ship was sinking as she filmed this footage

South Jersey resident Jennifer Allen filmed the moment when lifeboats were lowered into the ocean as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Grandeur of the Seas caught fire on Monday morning

The ship was forced to dock in Freeport, Grand Bahama island as the fire damage was assessed

According to several passenger accounts nobody was seriously injured but the fire did cause smoke and flooding

 

One New Jersey cruise-goer, Jennifer Allen, told NBC 10 Philadelphia that she thought the ship was doomed and it made her think of the 1997 movie, 'Titanic'.

Another passenger, Danielle Miller, 23, said that she was sound asleep and was unaware of anything untoward until the ship's intercom asked passengers to put life jackets on.

'My first thought was that we were sinking,' said Danielle of her terror.

'I opened the door and just see people running around with life jackets on and we were being yelled at to get our life jackets on and run up to a deck that was two floors above us,' she told ABC News. 

'But we didn't know what was going on because when we were going to bed it was really stormy, so we honestly thought the boat might have been sinking. And we were just panicking and running upstairs. 

'And we didn't know for about a half hour that there was a fire two decks below where we were at.'

Miller revealed she was so nervous as the fire raged that her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding.

'A couple people fainted. People were throwing up, crying. Just anxiety attacks everywhere. I was just telling my roommate stay calm,' she said. 

Fire Investigators: A fire that broke out aboard a Royal Caribbean ship Monday did enough damage that the rest of the cruise was canceled

Fiery Call: The fire that began at 2:50 a.m. Monday was extinguished about two hours later with no injuries reported

President and CEO Adam Goldstein (left) meets with passengers on board Grandeur of the Seas. Courtesy Royal Caribbean while (right) the Grandeur of the Seas captain and Royal Caribbean executives meet with passengers on board the ship after the fire

Adam Goldstein, president & CEO or Royal Caribbean and Anders Aasen, AVP of Technical Services survey the fire damage

Nathan Pletscher spoke to ABC News to explain how he became nervous for his parents aboard the ship only after he looked at a photo tweeted by Royal Caribbean's public relations team.

'We originally saw a news article and were a little nervous. When we made contact with my parents, they said there was a small fire,' he said.

'When I saw the photo on Twitter, I said, "That was a little more than a small fire." It's really fortunate the crew was able to get fire under control and things of that nature.'

Speaking to the news network, Pletscher admitted that his parents had a 'sense of panic' and had become 'obviously nervous', but were calmed by the ships crew.

'When the alarm first went off, there was an 'uh-oh' moment,' Pletscher said. 'But they couldn't say enough about how organized and professional both the captain and crew were. They kept everyone calm and were extremely transparent on with the whole situation.'

The Twitter account for their public relations department announced they were in the process of scheduling passengers on flights to Baltimore. 

Panic on the High Seas: Royal Caribbean said all guests and 796 crew were safe and accounted for

Royal Caribbean has said they are in the process of arranging flights for the 2,224 guests currently aboard the ship

Firefighter Brian Goss, a passenger on the ship, told WOOD-TV that some of the cabins did experience flooding and that the hallways smelled of smoke for most of the morning. 

He praised the efforts of the company, and said they were working tirelessly on the situation. 

'Up all night in emergency mode and now serving food and drinks with smiling faces and no sleep.'

An announcement from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that passengers needed to go their muster stations roused Mark J. Ormesher from his stateroom on the Grandeur of the Seas early Monday.

Ormesher said in an email to The Associated Press that immediately after the captain's announcement, his room attendant knocked on the door and told him and his girlfriend to grab their flotation devices, saying: 'This was not a drill.'

The native of England, who lives in Manassas, Virginia, Ormesher said he and his girlfriend smelled acrid smoke as they went to their muster station, the ship's casino. He said the crew quickly provided instruction.

A provided by Royal Caribbean shows the fire-damaged exterior on the Grandeur of the Seas cruise ship

The company in a statement on its website said it is 'deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests' vacation. We understand that this may have been a very stressful time for them'

'This encouraged calm amongst the passengers,' he said.

Passengers were required to remain at their stations for four hours, he said, and the captain 'provided us as much information as we needed to stay safe.'

Ormesher, 25, and on his first cruise, said the air conditioner had been shut off, and as the hours passed and the ship got hot, bottled water was passed around.

The crew and passengers remained calm, and helped those who needed it. Crying babies were given formula and held while their parents used the bathrooms.

 

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After passengers were allowed to leave their stations, Ormesher said he saw water on the outside of deck 5 and in the hallways. The mooring lines were destroyed he said; crew members brought new lines from storage.

Royal Caribbean said all 2,224 guests and 796 crew were safe and accounted for

In Freeport, passenger Andrea Sanders of Washington, D.C., said she slept on the deck with hundreds of other passengers as smoke billowed out of the stern of the ship. 'I was terrified with it being my first cruise,' Sanders told The Freeport News as she ate lunch in port.

Magnus Alnebeck, general manager of the Pelican Bay Hotel, said they were asked to hold rooms for passengers, although it was not yet clear how many would stay there.

The ship will stay docked in Freeport overnight.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement on its website that most public areas and staterooms are safe and power, propulsion and communications systems functioned without interruption.

Royal Caribbean International president and CEO Adam Goldstein met with passengers in Freeport.

A tweet sent from the NTSB shows they are investigating the situation

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a tweet that it will join the U.S. Coast Guard in investigating the fire.

Carnival Corp. also had trouble with fire aboard ship earlier this year.

The 900-foot Triumph was disabled during a February cruise by an engine room fire in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving thousands of passengers to endure cold food, unsanitary conditions and power outages while the ship was towed to Mobile, Alabama.

It remained there for repairs until early May when it headed back to sea under its own power.

Carnival to reimburse federal government for rescues

Carnival to reimburse federal government for rescues
By Tom Stieghorst

Carnival Corp. has decided to reimburse the U.S. government for the costs incurred by the Coast Guard and Navy in coming to the aid of two of its cruise ships that had engine fires.

Carnival will pay back the expenses related to the Carnival Triumph rescue in the Gulf of Mexico in February and a similar event off the California coast in 2010 involving Carnival Splendor.

In a prepared statement, Carnival said, "It should be clearly noted that at no point in time has Carnival stated it would refuse to reimburse federal agencies if they sought remuneration."

The Coast Guard has calculated its cost related to Carnival Triumph at $779,000 and the Splendor at $1.5 million. The Navy spent another $1.9 million, according to U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who has pressed Carnival as to whether it would pay for the help it received.

In its statement, Carnival said that although no agencies have requested remuneration, "the company has made the decision to voluntarily provide reimbursement to the federal government."

Previously, Carnival had responded to Rockefeller in a letter from James Hunn, Carnival Corp.'s senior vice president of maritime policy. Hunn said that help for ships in trouble at sea is the universal obligation of the entire maritime community.

Boeing says Dreamliner test flight 'went to plan'

Boeing has said a flight to test the new batteries on the Dreamliner "went to plan".

All 50 Dreamliners in operation have been grounded and orders delayed following a fire in a battery on a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston on January 7 and an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways aircraft in Japan shortly afterwards when a battery started producing smoke.

A 787 took off at 12:11pm Pacific Time from the airfield at Boeing’s main production plant in Everett, Washington, for the “functional test flight” and returned two hours later.

The aircraft was the first to be fitted with lithium-ion batteries designed to reduce the risk of overheating.

Boeing said it would assess the data and prepare for another test flight to reassure regulators.

The battery redesign plan was approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this month.

US transportation secretary Ray LaHood said at the time: "This comprehensive series of tests will show us whether the proposed battery improvements will work as designed.”

But he added: "We won't allow the plane to return to service unless we're satisfied that the new design ensures the safety of the aircraft and its passengers."