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Nightly news, fire breaks out on carnival cruise and 2 crew members killed aboard holland america ship.

Flames billowed from the back of the Carnival Freedom cruise ship after a fire ignited in the ship’s exhaust funnel as the vessel was just off the coast of the Bahamas. Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship were killed after an incident in an engineering space aboard the vessel. NBC News’ Marissa Parra reports. March 24, 2024

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Cruise ship explosion in Maine burns employee, prompts passenger evacuations

By Emily Mae Czachor

October 18, 2023 / 1:15 PM EDT / CBS News

A cruise ship employee was burned in a generator fire that broke out following an explosion on board early Wednesday morning, officials said. The ship — American Queen Voyages' Ocean Navigator — was docked at a pier in Portland, Maine, when the incident happened, leaving the crew member with serious injuries and launching an investigation into the cause.

Firefighters with the Portland Fire Department responded before 7:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday to reports of smoke in the engine room of the Ocean Navigator, a visiting cruise ship, the city of Portland said in a news release. The fire department received additional reports indicating that an explosion may have broken out inside the engine room and suggesting it could be related to a generator on board the ship. 

Fire officials also received word before arriving at the scene that one member of the Navigator crew had been burned. They treated the crew member who had been burned before arranging transport to a nearby hospital, Portland officials said. The crew member was seriously injured, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The ship was carrying 128 passengers, most of whom were sightseeing on land Wednesday, in addition to 82 crew members, according to Portland officials and the U.S. Coast Guard. Both said the crew member who suffered burns was the only person injured in the fire.

All passengers and remaining members of the Ocean Navigator crew were accounted for. Guests are currently being housed at a local hotel, according to the city.

"The Coast Guard prevention and response team reported to the site as well as the ATF, Maine State Fire Marshall, Maine State Fire Investigator, Portland Fire Department and Customs and Border Patrol," a Coast Guard spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday afternoon. 

The statement went on to note that the the fire happened "in the engine room on a generator" and added that the exact cause of the fire was still under investigation. The Coast Guard was working to determine if the Ocean Navigator could continue to be "seaworthy" as crews ventilated it after the fact, CBS affiliate WGME reported. 

"Additional crews were simultaneously able to stabilize the engine room issue and remained on scene to assist with extensive ventilation efforts and complete overhaul to prevent any further issues," the city of Portland said Wednesday. 

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Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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Cruises Cancelled After Fire Onboard Marella Discovery

• July 9, 2023

Two cruises were cancelled after a fire broke out onboard Marella Cruises’ Marella Discovery during a cruise in the Caribbean.

According to a report in the UK media, the fire alarms were sounded in the early hours of Friday while the 1996-built vessel was sailing between Amber Cove and Grand Turk.

The fire was contained to one of Discovery’s five engines and was quickly extinguished with no injuries to passengers or crew, the report added.

In a letter issued onboard, Marella confirmed the incident and informed guests of the cancellation of the ship’s current cruise.

“We’ve returned to Amber Cove so engineers can assess any damage and so that we can complete essential third-party inspections to clear us to sail. Unfortunately, we are currently waiting for class-approved surveyors who are flying to the Dominican Republic to reinstate and certificate the fixed firefighting system that we used to extinguish the fire,” the UK-based cruise line said.

“By the time this is complete, and we are clear to sail, we would not be able to reach Port Canaveral on Sunday as planned. With that in mind, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel this cruise and fly you home,” the company continued.

Offering a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean and Florida, the Discovery sailed from Port Canaveral on July 2. Upon visiting Miami, Bimini, Grand Turk and Amber Cove, the vessel was scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on July 9.

“It’s not a decision we’ve come to lightly but it is clear we simply cannot offer you a suitable itinerary,” Marella added, noting that its shoreside team is now working on the logistics of bringing all guests home to the UK.

“This is a big logistical operation and we appreciate your patience as we make all the necessary arrangements,” the company said.

Affected passengers are set to receive pro-data refunds or full refunds, depending on the date they boarded the vessel. Shore excursions booked for ports that were not visited are also being automatically refunded, Marella added.

“Once again, we’re sorry we haven’t been able to deliver the holiday you expected. We’d also like to thank you for your understanding and for your support for the crew – they are working hard to give you the best possible experience,” the company concluded.

Set to depart on July 9, Marella Discovery’s upcoming cruise has also been cancelled, according to a statement sent to booked guests.

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Carnival Freedom's next two cruises from Port Canaveral canceled after exhaust funnel fire

A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise of the Port Canaveral-based ship for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the ship's next two cruises are canceled.

Damage to the funnel will require the cancellation of Carnival's next two cruises out of Port Canaveral, which were scheduled to depart Monday and Friday.

Thousands of passengers with scheduled cruises will be affected by the canceled cruises during a busy spring break period for Carnival and other cruise lines.

Carnival initially had said it expected no changes in its upcoming cruises, but on Sunday afternoon said the cancellations would be required.

"Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought, and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," according to a statement issued by Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations. "The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs."

Carnival said it made the decision after "our technical team completed a thorough assessment" during the ship’s visit Sunday to Freeport in the Bahamas.

In the statement, Carnival said: "We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation. We are providing all guests on both canceled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit, so they can come back and enjoy a future cruise with us. We also greatly appreciate the terrific guests who are currently sailing with us, for their outstanding cooperation and support."

In a Facebook post, Carnival's widely followed brand ambassador, John Heald, conceded that many people who booked one of the canceled cruises are "feeling very disappointed," and he apologized for the turn of events.

But, Heald added that he wanted to assure affected passengers that, "when you rebook, using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the fun you deserve."

More than 500 people responded to the post, with many saying they thought Carnival was generous with the compensation offer. But some people who said they were on the cruise that experienced the fire said they thought Carnival should have done more for the people who were on the ship.

Carnival said the fire was confined to the funnel area. The cruise line said there are no reports of injuries to passengers. Two firefighting crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Carnival said that, at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, the Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to the Carnival private island of Princess Cay due to adverse weather.

Details of previous fire: Fire breaks out on Carnival Freedom while Port Canaveral-based ship was in Grand Turk

"The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames," an earlier Carnival statement said. "Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike, and that is being investigated, but cannot yet be confirmed."

By 5:20 p.m. Saturday, the fire was extinguished. 

Carnival said the ship's captain made multiple announcements to passengers and crew, and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks. 

The port-side portion of the funnel had fallen onto Deck 10, and the firefighting response put out any flames. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the fire, and Carnival activated its incident response team to support the ship’s crew. 

Carnival said there were no other operational issues with the ship’s systems, and the ship, which was on a four-night cruise, was visiting Freeport on Sunday.

The Freedom sailed into the channel at Port Canaveral around 7:30 a.m. Monday, and docked at Cruise Terminal 6, letting off the passengers who were on the cruise. Carnival then awaited a Coast Guard inspection of the ship before it could be cleared to leave Port Canaveral for the Freeport shipyard for repairs. The ship left the port about 6:20 p.m.

A cruise ship funnel generally serves as a smokestack to lift emissions above the deck, thus away from passengers and crew.

On Saturday evening, "Carnival Freedom guests enjoyed the Elegant Night dinner as planned, and, with the exception of the open decks, all areas of the ship are fully functioning," Carnival said in its statement. 

The sailing had about 3,700 passengers onboard. And the two upcoming sailings that were canceled each likely would have had a similar passenger count, because this is a busy time for the cruise industry.

The Carnival Freedom's next voyage was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon on a five-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. That cruise had port-of-call stops scheduled at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and at Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

But that sailing and a Friday sailing both have been canceled. Friday's five-night sailing also was scheduled to stop at those two ports of call, but in reverse order.

In May 2022, a fire broke out in the funnel area of the Carnival Freedom while it was docked in Grand Turk. Carnival then canceled three scheduled sailings of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral because of the need to repair the ship's fire damage at a shipyard in Grand Bahama.

More recently, in October 2023, the Carnival Freedom debuted a new iconic winged funnel after returning from a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain.

Dave Berman is business editor at  FLORIDA TODAY.  Contact Berman at  [email protected] , on X at  @bydaveberman  and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Carnival ship catches fire, leaving passengers awaiting rescue cruise

Carnival freedom’s signature red, white and blue funnel was ablaze thursday.

A Carnival Cruise Line ship caught fire Thursday morning while docked in Grand Turk, leaving passengers stuck on the boat until another arrives on a rescue mission this weekend.

Carnival Freedom, which left Central Florida’s Port Canaveral on Monday for a five-day voyage, was in the Turks and Caicos cruise when the fire started in the ship’s signature red, white and blue funnel, which is shaped like a whale’s tail.

Carnival cruise on fire sheesh #carnivalfreedom #shiponfire #shipdown pic.twitter.com/n00l0HaFUV — That Panda Guy (@SantaPanda39) May 26, 2022

Passengers on other ships started posting photos and videos after 8 a.m. Carnival released a statement at 8:45 a.m. saying the ship’s emergency response team “quickly activated and extinguished a fire.” The Miami-based operator said everyone onboard — 2,504 guests and 972 crew — was safe. Passengers were allowed to leave the ship to spend the day in Grand Turk.

The cause of the blaze was not clear, and the cruise line did not say how much damage was caused.

But Carnival said in a statement Thursday afternoon that “all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning.” After an initial assessment of the damage, the company said the ship will go to Freeport, Bahamas, for repairs.

The blaze and its aftermath were a far cry from the infamous 2013 fire on the Carnival Triumph , which started in the engine room while the ship was at sea. In that case, the ship lost power and drifted. It became known as the “poop cruise” because of the waste disposal issues that result when a vessel with thousands of people onboard loses power.

#carnivalfreedom 👀 Not a way to wake up this morning at port aboard the #carnivalmardigras pic.twitter.com/aY0TPjfXvj — Justin Reavis (@reavis_justin88) May 26, 2022

The next Carnival Freedom cruise, scheduled for Saturday from Port Canaveral, has been canceled. Passengers will stay onboard while a sister ship, the Carnival Conquest, makes its way to Grand Turk from Miami to pick up passengers and bring them back to Port Canaveral on Monday. The next trip for that ship, scheduled to leave Friday, has also been canceled. The next Conquest voyage, which was intended to leave Miami on Monday, will instead depart Tuesday.

“Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols,” the company’s statement said.

The Freedom passengers’ situation is reminiscent of the experience guests had on the Norwegian Escape in March. In that incident, the ship ran aground and passengers ended up being flown home under sometimes-chaotic circumstances days later. Many who were stuck on land awaiting flights watched the ship depart without them.

More cruise news

Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

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Cruise ship fire leaves guests stranded on Caribbean island

By Greg Roumeliotis

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (Reuters) - An engine fire on board a cruise ship operated by Carnival Corp left about 4,500 passengers and crew stranded in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a second day on Tuesday and forced the cruise operator to cut the trip short.

The Carnival Liberty set sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday with 3,346 guests and 1,150 crew on board and was a day into a week-long Caribbean cruise when the fire broke out.

The fire was extinguished by the ship's automated suppression system, Carnival said. No guests or crew were injured.

Passengers and crew were told to evacuate onshore on Monday after thick black smoke was seen rising from the ship while it was docked in St. Thomas, a Reuters reporter on board the vessel said. Staff distributed water and snacks in the port.

Passengers were transferred to nearby hotels, where movies were screened and a buffet was served before they returned to spend the night on the ship. On Tuesday, every passenger was offered $150 credit to spend on board and free transportation into town.

Carnival said passengers will get a full refund as well as be offered a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.

"I could feel worse but I still see it as a free cruise," said passenger Elaine Myers, a 21-year-old student from Kansas City, Missouri. "What is important is that nobody died or got hurt in the fire."

Carnival said a team of experts, including U.S. Coast Guard representatives, had boarded to assess damage and that the ship would set sail for San Juan once it received clearance from authorities.

Guests can opt to leave the cruise or travel back to San Juan and explore the city till Sunday, the company said. If the ship is not cleared to leave St. Thomas by Tuesday evening, the Carnival it would fly all guests home.

The aborted cruise and related expenses might have a "small" financial impact, if any, on Carnival, company spokesman Roger Frizzell said.

Engine room fires have disrupted other cruises in recent years. In 2013, the Carnival Triumph was rendered out of service, leaving about 4,000 people adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without power or adequate sanitation.

Later that year, a fire aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd ship forced it to dock at Freeport in the Bahamas.(reut.rs/1iuFPYw)

In 2010, an engine fire crippled the Carnival Splendor's propulsion system and knocked out most of its power off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

(This story corrects the ninth paragraph to remove the extraneous word "the")

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Writing by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Robin Paxton and Savio D'Souza)

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Dozens evacuated from small cruise ship in Alaska after engine room fire

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JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A fire in the engine room of a small cruise ship in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve prompted the evacuation of dozens of passengers and crew on Monday. No injuries were reported, and the fire was extinguished, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The fire on board the Wilderness Discoverer was reported to the Coast Guard around 7:30 a.m. UnCruise Adventures, which operates the ship, said 78 passengers and crew members were on board at the time.

All 51 passengers and most crew members were removed from the ship and placed on another cruise ship in the area, the Coast Guard said. Eleven crew members remained with the Wilderness Discoverer, which was expected to be towed to Ketchikan.

UnCruise Adventures said the cause of the fire was under investigation. The company said it would provide full refunds to affected passengers.

Video shows flames, heavy black smoke after Carnival Freedom exhaust funnel catches fire near Bahamas

By nbc6 • published march 25, 2024 • updated on march 25, 2024 at 7:38 am.

Shocking video filmed by a passenger onboard the Carnival Freedom captured the moment after the ship's port-side exhaust funnel caught fire off the coast of the Bahamas on Saturday.

According to a statement from Carnival, the fire broke out at around 3:15 p.m. Saturday and the damage was more than they initially thought. The ship required immediate repair for the stabilization of the funnel.

The ship’s fire response team was also quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames, the statement said.

At approximately 3:15 pm EDT today, Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a cancelled call to Princess Cay due to weather. — Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) March 23, 2024

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Carnival Cruises also acknowledged there were swirling rumors that a lightning strike from severe weather was potentially responsible for the fire, but said that had not been confirmed.

On Monday, the ship was set to go to the shipyard in Freeport, Bahamas to undergo the required repairs.

Due to the fire, the cruise line canceled two sailings for the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral -- one on March 25th and the other on March 29th.

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The company assured passengers, however, that anyone scheduled to board those cruised would receive full refunds and a credit for a future cruise.

The cruise line said two crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but there were no reports of injured guests at this time.

This article tagged under:

Passengers, crew evacuated from cruise ship after fire

Passengers and crew members were evacuated from a cruise ship sailing in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park because of a fire on board earlier this week.

After a “fire incident” contained to the engine room of UnCruise Adventures’ Wilderness Discoverer ship on Monday, other vessels in the area helped disembark 51 guests and 16 crew members, the cruise line said in a news release.

“We are relieved to confirm that there have been no injuries resulting from the fire,” Capt. Dan Blanchard, UnCruise’s owner and CEO, said in the release. “Our highly trained crew promptly extinguished the fire using established emergency protocols, and CO2 was successfully deployed for everyone's safety.” Eleven crew members remained on board.

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The line is providing guests with full refunds. They were transferred to Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess ship, and later moved to another ship before being disembarked at park headquarters and given hotels and flights home.

There were “no discernible environmental impacts” in the area as a result of the incident, according to UnCruise, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

Wilderness Discoverer was built in 1992 and can accommodate 76 guests.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

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Carnival freedom cruise ship catches fire for second time in less than 2 years.

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The Carnival Freedom cruise ship experienced its second fire in less than two years, and passenger footage caught the flames with smoke coming from the ship’s exhaust funnel Saturday afternoon. 

“That’s nutty,” X user @breezebreeze_ can be heard while showing the fire aboard the ship.

Carnival Cruise Line put out several tweet replies regarding the incident they say happened at 3:15 ET. 

“Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel,” one of the posts read. “The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to Princess Cay due to weather.”

The news prompted passengers of the ship’s upcoming departure from Port Canaveral on Monday to ask the cruise line if their itinerary would go off as planned.

“Is the cruise for the Carnival Freedom March 25 departing cruise from Port Canaveral still planning on going?” one X user asked Carnival. “We need to know for travel purposes!”

“I can almost guarantee it’ll be canceled,” another X user wrote about the ship’s next planned cruise. “This isn’t the first time this has happened ironically to this ship, and the following sailing when it happened that time were canceled, but obviously not confirm[ed].”

Carnival quickly responded to quell any rumors, saying it does not expect any impact on the next Carnival Freedom voyage. 

The Freedom’s exhaust funnel caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked at Grand Turk Island in Turks and Caicos. Video from then also showed the ship’s funnel – referred to by some as the whale tail – consumed by flames and smoke. 

The part of the ship that caught fire is designed to help direct the flow of exhaust gases away from the ship, according to the Crown Cruise Vacations website. 

“The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames,” Carnival said about Saturday’s fire. “Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike and that is being investigated.”

Carnival said the captain made “multiple announcements to guests and crew” about the fire. The port side of the funnel fell onto Deck 10, Carnival said. No injuries were reported.

The Carnival Freedom was in Freeport as scheduled Sunday, according to CruiseMapper. Carnival said there are no operational issues with the ship’s systems.

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Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Carnival Freedom ship caught fire Saturday near the Bahamas after passengers reported a lightning strike on the boat during a thunderstorm .

Carnival Cruise Line said the crew reported a fire on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, sailing to Freeport after being unable to dock at Princess Cay due to weather conditions. 

"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire," Carnival Cruise Line said. "While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday."

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Around the time of the fire, radar showed a storm cell over the area and a lot of lightning activity.

Multiple passenger videos show flames and dark smoke billowing from the exhaust funnel as rain continues to pour onto the deck.

Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was supposed to dock at Princess Cay on Saturday about 9 a.m., but passengers were told that the boat would continue to Freeport due to strong winds . 

During the afternoon, the rain returned, and passengers reported hearing loud thunder and then seeing the smoke. Soon after, guests were told to remain in their cabins.

"Why is our tail on fire?" someone can be heard saying in the video recorded by Barnes. "That's not good, y'all."

On Monday, Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral , where guests disembarked.

The cruise line said damage to the ship is "more than we first thought" and will require immediate repair to stabilize the funnel. Cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25th and March 29th have been canceled. All guests on the canceled trips will receive a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.

FOX Business reported that the same cruise ship caught on fire in 2022 after being struck by lightning. 

Another video recorded on Saturday by X user @breezebreeze showed the fire on the ship.

"Carnival Freedom on fire AGAIN!!" they wrote on X.

Original article source: Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike