Cruise ship adrift in Gulf of Mexico for 3 days

Passengers on the deck of the stranded Carnival Triumph cruise ship / Rosemary Raynes

HOUSTON Passengers aboard a cruise vessel stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after a weekend engine fire have limited access to bathrooms, food and hot coffee, but also a new destination: Mobile, Ala.

Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in a statement Monday that the Carnival Triumph had drifted so far north of its original position that it will be towed to the southern U.S. port, instead of the original plan to take it to Progreso, Mexico.

Cahill said strong Gulf currents caused the Triumph to drift about 90 miles north of its original position off the Yucatan Peninsula.

Cahill's statement said the ship should arrive in Mobile on Thursday and that the change will allow for less complicated re-entry for passengers without passports.

CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg said on "CBS This Morning" that the waste management system was powered by electricity, and with electricity out on the ship, there is a danger of it turning into "a floating biohazard" before it reaches Alabama.

The Carnival Triumph had been floating aimlessly about 150 miles off the Yucatan Peninsula since a fire erupted in the aft engine room early Sunday, knocking out the ship's propulsion system. No one was injured and the fire was extinguished. The ship has been operating on backup generator power since the incident, the statement said.

The ship, which left Galveston, Texas, on Thursday and was scheduled to return there Monday, will instead be towed to Mobile with its 3,143 passengers 1,086 crew members. They are due to arrive in Alabama on Thursday.

One tugboat arrived Monday afternoon, and the other was expected later in the evening, Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said in an email. The Coast Guard has informed Mexican authorities of the situation in their waters, a spokesman said.

When another Carnival cruise ship, the Legend, rendezvoused with the stranded vessel Monday, supplying Triumph passengers with food and supplies, Texas resident Brent Nutt was able to briefly chat with his wife, Bethany, who could draw a cellphone signal from the visiting cruise line.

Without power, the ship's stabilizers are apparently not working, Nutt told The Associated Press, and the massive liner had been leaning to one side Sunday. By Monday afternoon, the ship seemed more upright, he said.

In this image released by the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 11, 2013, a small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013.

/ AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard- Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell

"She sounded a whole lot better today than she did yesterday," Nutt said about two hours after chatting with his 32-year-old wife.

Passengers were also given food, Nutt said, and some of the bathrooms are working. But the ship is dirty, Nutt said his wife told him.

"There's water and feces all over the floor," Nutt relayed. "It's not the best conditions. You would think Carnival would have something in place to get these people off the ship."

Passengers also are getting sick and throwing up, he said, adding that his wife told him: "The whole boat stinks extremely bad."

Melinda Ramos, meanwhile, said her father was laughing when she briefly spoke to him Sunday.

"He might be completely joking, but he said they're sleeping in tents outside," the 19-year-old daughter of Mary and Matt Ramos told The Houston Chronicle.

A similar situation occurred on a Carnival cruise ship in November 2010. That vessel was also stranded for three days with 4,500 people aboard after a fire in the engine room. When the passengers disembarked in San Diego they described a nightmarish three days in the Pacific with limited food, power and bathroom access.

Carnival said in a statement that it had cancelled the Triumph's next two voyages scheduled to depart Monday and Saturday. Passengers aboard the stranded ship will also receive a full refund, the statement said.

In the past, Carnival had compounded its public relations problems by only offering 20-percent discounts on the next cruise to stranded passengers, but it apparently learned its lesson this time, CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg told "CBS This Morning."

However, even with a full refund, Carnival faces a problem when the 3,100 passengers reach southern Alabama, which was not their original destination. Getting those thousands of people home via an airport with only regional jets is likely to cause another slew of problems.

[ladykeresztessy]

It certainly should come under strict guidelines for all cruise ships to be continually inspected by inspectors for all areas prior to re-sailing out of any US port. When stablizers go due to electrical failure the ship will lean and thank God they were only in the Gulf of Mexico. Passengers need to read the fine print before signing on the dotted line for these cruises such as the Conorda and the reimbursement back was nill for any inconvenience. I believe a waiver of liability is also signed on these cruise ships so passengers should take out a separate policy for life and sickness and disability. The cruise lines owns protection to the passengers and its crew and to prevent another Titanic or any type of catastrophe of airborne illnesses due to what happened. Thank you I will fly or drive. See the USA in your Cheverolet as the song was sung by Diana Shore.

[nohater]

have no empathy for those who choose to go on a cruise ship. the ship should be met by a biohazard team to cleanup each passenger as they leave the ship. every passenger must be crawling with cooties.

[drifter-mt]

Good advice: Skip Carnival Cruises, period. Stay home, see America!

[David Hoffman100]

Carnival Cruise Line offers cruises along the US coasts in addition to international ones.

[Jhihmoac]

A floating hotel that relies heavily on electricity...Ok, understandable...Where were all the back-up systems these cruising behemoths are supposed to have?

[David Hoffman100]

There appears to be some flawed engineering and ship design, as situations similar to this one have happened to other Carnival ships. The system isolation plans seem not to be offering true real world isolated electricity generation and electricity distribution. Whether Carnival insisted on the design or the ship builder insisted it would work as they designed it, I do not know.

[DawnIrisAlessandra]

carnival u not doing so well

[Ulgnud]

Since these cruse ships seem to have a habit of burning their engines, a slight re-design might be in order. Why not build it so the auxiliary powerplant is not so close to the main engineering plant. That way an engine fire would not cripple the electrical system. Just an idea.

[Ulgnud]

What kind of filthy animals are riding on that thing? Stick your behind over the side or use a bucket that can be rinsed out in the ocean when you have to go. Don't crap all over the place.

[David Hoffman100]

The ship is pitching and rolling. The lowest deck that is open is 50 or so feet above the water. The stuff will end up all over the side of the ship.

[bobbie1001]

I have taken cruises on several different cruise lines. Although it is true that Carnival owns several different lines, it does not mean that they are all the same. Carnival is the 'yugo' of the industry while Princess is the 'cadillac' in my book. Have been on Carnival x1, NCL x2, Royal Caribbean x2, Disney x1, Holland America x1 and Vantage x1. Apparently Carnival is more interested in keeping the ships in operation than caring for the maintenance of them. It cannot be just bad luck that they have had so many mishaps.

[David Hoffman100]

Actually it seems to be a design flaw in the area of isolating systems from collateral damage caused by the failure of one system or catastrophic damage to one system. Losing propulsion should not mean losing other ship electrical power.

[corbolavirus]

Where's the bizillion dollar US Navy on this rescue of AMERICANS? Chasing North Korean tugboats or Iranian Ski Nautiques? Yes.

[David Hoffman100]

USCG is the primary ocean rescue service of the USA government. The regulations of the USCG state that if a ship is not in imminent danger of sinking or other catastrophic life threatening situations, it is the responsibility of the ship's owners to arrange for towing or repair of the ship in order to get it safely to port. The other issue is that since the incident happened in the Ocean Economic Exclusion Zone of Mexico, within 200NM of the coast, the Mexicans would be considered the primary rescuers. In reality, the limited capability Mexican government would request significant assistance from the USA government should rescue be needed.

[TLFOSTER1]

I HAVE BEEN ON A CARNIVAL CRUISE AND IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST TIMES IN MY LIFE!!! I WOULD NEVER AGAIN CRUISE WITH CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE !!!