MIAMI —
A cruise ship that was speculated to dock in Miami has as an alternative sailed to the Bahamas, after a U.S. choose granted an order to grab the vessel as a part of a lawsuit over hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid gas.
Cruise trackers present Crystal Symphony docked within the Bahamian island of Bimini.
“All of us really feel we have been kidnapped by luxurious pirates!” passenger Stephen Heard Fales posted on Fb.
Some passengers have been taken by ferry Sunday to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The ferry trip was “uncomfortable attributable to inclement climate,” in line with an announcement from a spokesperson for operator Crystal Cruises. The corporate mentioned passengers have been additionally taken to native airports.
Crystal Cruises wouldn’t touch upon “pending authorized issues.”
It was unclear what number of passengers have been aboard. In keeping with the corporate web site, the vessel can carry as much as 848 passengers.
The ship was scheduled to reach in Miami on Saturday. However a federal choose in Miami on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the ship, a maritime observe during which a U.S. marshal boards a vessel and takes cost of it as soon as it enters U.S. waters.
Crystal Symphony passengers and entertainers mentioned on social media they have been shocked to seek out out concerning the authorized case. One passenger posted to Fb a letter from Crystal Cruises administration that mentioned the change in itinerary was attributable to “nontechnical operational points.”
The lawsuit was filed in a Miami federal court docket by Peninsula Petroleum Far East beneath a maritime process that permits actions towards vessels for unpaid money owed. The criticism says Crystal Symphony was chartered or managed by Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, that are each sued for breach of contract for allegedly owing $4.6 million in gas.
Crystal Cruises introduced earlier this week that it was suspending operations by way of late April. Along with Crystal Symphony, it has two different ships at the moment cruising, attributable to finish their voyages Jan. 30 in Aruba and Feb. 4 in Argentina.
“Suspending operations will present Crystal’s administration workforce with a chance to judge the present state of enterprise and study numerous choices shifting ahead,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
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