Passengers await tugboats on crippled Carnival cruise ship adrift off the coast of Mexico

[HUMAN]

By JULIE WATSON

The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — The nearly 4,500 passengers and crew of the Carnival Splendor have no air conditioning or hot water. Running low on food, they have to eat canned crab meat and Spam dropped in by helicopters. And for at least another 24 hours, they have no way out.

This photo released by the U.S. Navy shows the Carnival Splendor, a cruise ship stranded about 250 miles off the coast of California on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. The ship, which left from Long Beach, Calif. on Sunday, was 200 miles south of San Diego when an engine room fire cut its power early Monday, according to a statement from Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. The ship began drifting off the coast of northern Baja California. Navy helicopters shuttled in supplies Tuesday to 4,500 passengers and crew members expected to remain stranded on the disabled cruise ship through Wednesday night. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McChord)

This photo released by the U.S. Navy shows the Carnival Splendor, a cruise ship stranded about 250 miles off the coast of California on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010. The ship, which left from Long Beach, Calif. on Sunday, was 200 miles south of San Diego when an engine room fire cut its power early Monday, according to a statement from Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. The ship began drifting off the coast of northern Baja California. Navy helicopters shuttled in supplies Tuesday to 4,500 passengers and crew members expected to remain stranded on the disabled cruise ship through Wednesday night. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McChord)

FILE - In this July 10, 2008 file photo released by Carnival Cruise Lines,

What began as a seven-day cruise to the picturesque Mexican Riviera stopped around sunrise when an engine room fire cut power to the 952-foot vessel and set it adrift off Mexico's Pacific coast.


No one was hurt and, by Tuesday, U.S. Navy helicopters were ferrying 70,000 pounds of supplies, including the crab meat, croissants, Pop Tarts, Spam and other items, to the stricken ship.

Mexican tugboats, meanwhile, were rushing out to the vessel to begin towing it 150 miles to the port of Ensenada, about 50 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Splendor could reach the port as early as late Wednesday.

Accidents like the engine room fire are rare, said Monty Mathisen, of the New York-based publication Cruise Industry News.

The last major cruise accident was in 2007 when a ship with more than 1,500 people sank after hitting rocks near the Aegean island of Santorini, Mathisen said. Two French tourists died.

"This stuff does not happen," he said. "The ships have to be safe, if not the cruise market will collapse."

The Splendor, which left from Long Beach on Sunday, was 200 miles south of San Diego at the time of the engine fire, according to a statement from Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. It began drifting about 55 miles off shore.

The 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members were not hurt and the fire was put out in the generator's compartment, but the ship had no air conditioning, hot water, cell phone or internet service.

After the fire, passengers were first asked to move from their cabins to the ship's upper deck, but eventually allowed to go back to their rooms. The ship's auxiliary power allowed for toilets and cold running water.

Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said the ship's command is able to communicate with outsiders on a backup system

On Tuesday, U.S. sailors loaded cargo planes with boxes of crab meat, croissants and other items for the stranded passengers. They were to be ferried to an aircraft carrier at sea, where helicopters will pick them up and drop them on the ship.
The U.S. Coast Guard deployed aircraft and ships, and the Mexican Navy was also helping but did not release details of its contribution The U.S. Navy diverted the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan from training maneuvers to help.

The Splendor only had enough food to last through midday Tuesday because refrigerators on the ship stopped working after the power was knocked out, Navy Commander Greg Hicks said.

Hicks said 50,000 pounds of food had already been delivered by Tuesday afternoon.
"Without being there and I'm glad I'm not, I think they're probably uncomfortable," Coast Guard Capt. Tom Farris said. "They're being protected from being burned by the sun and kept warm."

The tugboats were expected to arrive back at the port with the ship around 8 p.m. PST Wednesday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Kevin Metcalf said. Metcalf said the tugs and a Coast Guard cutter escort must move slowly because the ship is so big.

From Ensenada, passengers will be driven 50 miles by bus to the California border, said Oliva, who added that she was unaware of any safety concerns from passengers or their families about traveling by land in Mexico.
The country is mired in a war between drug cartels and the military.

Ensenada Port Capt. Carlos Carrillo said some bus companies that normally work with cruise ships docked at the port already take passengers to the border, but officials were discussing taking extra precautions. Among them are federal police escorts to ensure they arrive safely to San Diego, across from the Mexican border city of Tijuana, he said.

 

[Lakers [2009-2010 ] <--]

I like warm beer and would dispute the charges after the boat stopped.

Toss in a box of cigars and I would enjoy the respite from the ordinary.

 

[Alia M]

Makes me want to take a cruise . . . ok, maybe not. How about a nice trip to club oxygen instead??

thetank

 

[Incense & Peppermints68]

I'm with you P Smerf, think of the stories you could tell!

One thing I can't figure out, they usually have tons of bread and bread products and all sorts of canned goods, canned soda and pop, fruit juices, fruit, vegetables etc. Veggies will last days without refridgeration, so why the panic over lack of food? Hell, I've got a jar of peanut butter that's probably a year old and still good.

"attention first class passengers, PB and J sandwiches will be served on the promenade deck at noon" lol....

I like how they mention "no cellular or internet service" oh the horror, the horror lol...how will they ever survive?

As for lack of a/c, well, they're at sea, open all the portholes and doors and let in the fresh sea air. I know I'd be on deck soaking up the rays, playing shuffleboard, etc.

They have the basics, toilets and cold running water.....

This would seam like a great (but not too) dangerous adventure.....

 

[Alice]

Aboard a ship of that size the water requires electric pumps to flow.


Battery power would be reserved for the radio and bilge pumps.

 

[pineapple]

Yes I know, and they said in the report that they have cold running water and toilets......But they wouldn't only be on battery power. They have to have a pretty decent backup generator on board. (you would hope it wouldn't be located in the same room as the regular gennies lol or is that too logical?)......

Speaking of logic, you have to wonder though what actually happened. The engine rooms in these ships are massive and you'd think there would be redundant backup systems for all essential services. I mean, it probably has 4 engines so you'd think 2 would be isolated from the other 2 so if something happened, it would only affect 2.

Kind of like a house: if you have a fire in a bedroom, and the electics are toast, you can easily isolate that room and still have power to the rest of the house...that is, if it is wired correctly.....