| Accident | : Fire. |
| Date | : 6th September 2015. |
| Location | : Off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| Vessel Involved | : Caribbean Carnival Liberty, a cruise ship. |
| Casualties | : None. |
Engine room fire in the cruise ship leaves over 3500 passengers stranded. No injuries reported.
The cruise ship was carrying 3,346 passengers and 1,150 crew members from San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday 6th September.
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on Monday, local time, the second day of a week long caribbean cruise the watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Juan command center received a report from the Carnival Liberty on a fire breakout in the engine room. The fire was extinguished by the ship’s automated fire suppression system. The ship was moored to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
No injuries were reported. Passengers and the non-essential crew members were safely moved to local hotels. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause.
The passengers were offered $150 credit. Carnival said, a team of experts including U.S. Coast Guard representatives are assessing the damage. The ship’s command is presently awaiting permission from authorities to sail. Once the ship is ready it will go back to its homeport of San Juan. Guests will have the option of remaining on board through the rest of the week and exploring San Juan or disembarking and traveling home.
The aborted cruise and related expenses might have a “small” financial impact, if any, on Carnival, company spokesman Roger Frizzell said.
All hotel services including air conditioning, elevators, toilets, galleys, etc. are fully functional and the ship’s normal array of activities, entertainment, dining options and programming are being offered.
