A luxury cruise ship filled with passengers was forced to sail and dock in the Bahamas instead of its planned destination after a U.S. judge issued an order for the seizure of the ship. The warrant was issued as part of a lawsuit against the ship's operator over unpaid fuel.
Crystal Symphony, a cruise ship owned by cruise operator Crystal Cruises, was forced to dock on the Bahamian island of Bimini over the weekend. The ship was scheduled to dock in Miami, Flordia.
Authorities had not disclosed how many passengers were on board when authorities seized the ship, but some reports said there were between 300 to 700 passengers aboard. Local media reports said the passengers had already been taken by ferry to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
The warrant of arrest for the vessel was, reportedly, issued on Thursday, but authorities had to wait for the ship to enter U.S. waters before they could seize it. As part of maritime practice, a warrant of arrest for a vessel is served by U.S. Marshals, who can then board a vessel and seize control of it once it enters the warrant's jurisdiction.
Passengers and some crewmembers reportedly were caught by surprise by the seizure. One guest said on social media that they felt like they were being abducted by pirates. Another guest said that he was told by management that there would be a change in the ship's itinerary because of "non-technical operational issues."
The lawsuit against Crystal cruises was filed by Peninsula Petroleum Far East in a Miami federal court. Crystal Symphony was named in the maritime lawsuit, which sought legal action against the vessel over its unpaid debts. Crystal Symphony and Star Cruises were named in the lawsuit. Both companies were also sued for breach of contract relating to an unpaid fuel bill worth $4.6 million. Crystal Cruises is owned by the Genting Group, which also owns Resorts World Bimini.
Apart from Crystal Symphony, Crystal Cruises currently has two other ships in operation. One ship is scheduled to end its voyage on Jan. 30 and dock in Aruba, while the other is scheduled to dock in Argentina on Feb. 4. Crystal Cruises announced earlier in the week that it plans to suspend its operations through late April.
The company said in a statement that the temporary suspension would be needed to "evaluate the current state of the business" and to explore other options that would allow it to continue operating.
