Crystal Cruises ship diverts to Bahamas with 700 people on board after arrest warrant issued over $1.2m unpaid fuel bill: reports
Photo by Peter Bischoff/Getty Images
- A Crystal Cruises ship diverted to the Bahamas in an apparent attempt to escape an arrest warrant.
- The warrant relates to an unpaid fuel bill, according to case documents obtained by USA Today.
- A US marshal would be prepared to arrest the ship if it showed up in Miami, per Bloomberg.
A Crystal Cruises ship with hundreds of passengers and crew onboard has diverted from its scheduled stop in Miami after an arrest warrant was issued, multiple outlets reported.
The Crystal Symphony was due to return to Miami on Saturday, following a 14-day Caribbean voyage, but instead traveled to Bimini in the Bahamas, per The Daily Mail.
According to Bloomberg, if the ship docks in Miami, the terms of the warrant would allow it to be seized to repay a $1.2 million unpaid fuel bill, which is apparently owed by its operator, Genting Hong Kong Ltd.
The warrant resulted from a lawsuit filed by Peninsula Petroleum Far East Wednesday against Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises Limited, per USA Today.
Crystal Cruises did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
One passenger tweeted to travel agent Mundy Cruising: "Can you help me change my flight to Heathrow from Miami as we are stuck on Crystal Symphony which has changed route and is now heading for Bahamas instead of Miami."
Elio Pace, a musician performing aboard the ship, told the Daily Mail that "every one of these people are trying to reschedule their flights." But he noted that "there's no panic, there's no tantrums going on."
Pace, however, said in an interview with USA Today that he hopes he will be compensated for the additional time he's had to spend onboard.
—John (@johndresner) January 21, 2022
Passengers had to wait overnight Saturday to be transported by a ferry to Fort Lauderdale after the diversion, The Daily Mail reported.
Genting Hong Kong filed for provisional liquidation Wednesday, per Bloomberg. It had reported a $1.7 billion loss in May.
Cruise companies have faced many difficulties in recent months, particularly in relation to the pandemic. Earlier this month, staff and passengers on Norwegian Getaway and Royal Caribbean ships described their difficult quarantine experiences after contracting COVID-19.
Another passenger, who was traveling on an unspecified cruise ship, recently said she experienced "panic and anxiety" while isolating for six days in a windowless cabin.
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