Cruises are the vacation of choice for many people. They offer the opportunity to relax and have fun at sea. However, they are not without problems. Although cruise ship accidents are not as common as car accidents, they do happen. Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines is being sued by passengers after an engine-room fire left them stranded on the ship for four days in unfavorable conditions.
The Carnival Triumph was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after the February fire caused a power outage aboard the ship. Only four of six generators were working, leaving the 4,000 passengers with very little food, water, lighting and toilets. There was no air conditioning aboard the vessel, causing uncomfortable conditions. The ship drifted for four days before it was towed to Alabama to be fixed.
The passengers feel they are entitled to some sort of compensation for what they had to endure after the fire. Their lawyers claim that the ship was prone to fires. Other ships in Carnival’s fleet allegedly had suffered generator fires before this incident. The lawsuits claim that Carnival was negligent in operating the ships, since they should have been considered unseaworthy.
Carnival claims that the ship was cleared for departure by the U.S. Coast Guard. It considers the lawsuits frivolous and calls the incident an accident.
Whether or not it was an accident, nobody wants to spend their vacation without basic necessities – especially when they paid for an all-inclusive vacation. Although nobody suffered injuries, they should still receive some sort of compensation for their trouble.
Source: About Cruise Ships, “Carnival Triumph Passengers Sue Carnival” Sara Walsh, Dec. 23, 2013
