Saline woman among thousands of passengers stuck on board Carnival cruise ship
A small boat belonging to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous patrols near the cruise ship Carnival Triumph Monday in the Gulf of Mexico. The Triumph has 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.
AP Photo | U.S. Coast Guard- Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell
Eden Davis told WXYZ that her sister Gina is from Saline and is on board the Triumph, which left Galveston, Texas last week for a four-day Caribbean tour.
A weekend engine fire had partially disabled the ship off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
Gina and other passengers have reported poor conditions on the ship -- including trouble getting enough food to eat and sewage in the hallways, according to media reports.
The cruise ship now is being slowly tugged to Alabama.
The incident happened about a year after 32 people died when the Costa Concordia -- a luxury cruise ship operated by Carnival's Costa Cruises brand -- was grounded on rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio in Italy, Reuters reported.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
treetowncartel
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:51 p.m.
Did a crusie one time, told m self I would never do it again. This event reinforces that decision. I'd rather put my toes in the sand.
ANGEEBABY IN OREGON
Sun, Feb 17, 2013 : 6:39 a.m.
SORRY TO HEAR IT . WE WENT IN JAN 2013 HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIFE!!!! WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT!!!
FredMax
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:14 p.m.
No food, no shelter, no fresh water... A new setting for filming the next episode of Survivorman.
DNB
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:02 p.m.
Wow, I really feel badly for these people that have had to live in such horrible conditions for days. There is nothing like being trapped on a cruise ship. I don't know how many would ever step foot on a cruise ship again, despite the fact that Carnival will give each a full refund, $500, and a voucher for a free cruise in the future. I don't understand why Carnival couldn't air-lift in fresh food supplies daily, as needed. When I was in my 20's, I was on a Carnival cruise and we hit an unexpected tropical storm halfway through the cruise. That huge ship rocked back and forth so badly, and I've never been so sick in my life. The hallways were lined with barf bags, people were getting sick everywhere, and there seemed to be no relief from the sea-sickness. We were trapped on that ship, until we got back into port. I never wanted to go on a cruise again.
mermaid72
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:11 p.m.
Carnival Cruise ships....... The WalMart of the Seas, ya get what ya pay for on their cruises. Those poor people.
PineyWoodsGuy
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 4:21 a.m.
Sue Carnival Cruise Lines? You would send your lawyer on a Fool's Errand! You would win your lawsuit, but collecting the judgment would be Impossible! 1. Carnival does not own the ship; it leases the ship (maritime term: "Charter") from unknown millionaires in Europe/Arabia; ship is registered in a foreign country. 2. Carnival has no assets; there may be some leased desks and leased computers. Cannot touch those. 3. Income? Sure. Lots. Probably quickly socked-away in legally Un-Touchable Pension Fund. The rest gets paid-out in end-of-the-month Bonuses.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:24 p.m.
carnival is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc ticker's CCl and CUK on the new York Stock exchange and it is an S&P 500 component. It absolutely has assets a lawyer could go after.
Fresh Start
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 2:02 a.m.
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, the tale of a fateful trip....
Dog Guy
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 4:32 p.m.
"Nearer My God" doesn't scan to Gilligan's theme.
arborani
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
I think the protocol is "Nearer My God . . ."
Dog Guy
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:46 a.m.
The passengers could sing Amazing Grace to the Gilligan tune.
Basic Bob
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:18 a.m.
... for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
Jason
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:29 a.m.
Haha, another cruise story Amy? You're new beat is local residents stranded on a cruise ship. http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20120118/NEWS01/201180304/Fort-Gratiot-couple-return-after-cruise-ship-ordeal
Jason
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:16 p.m.
Yeah, a cruise is so not appealing to me.
Amy Biolchini
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 2:58 p.m.
That story I did about the Fort Gratiot couple who survived the Costa Concordia fiasco was all I could think of when I was writing this brief. It's making me wary of cruises ...
John of Saline
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:02 a.m.
It's interesting that there seems to be no backup power scheme on the ship. I don't mean to power EVERYTHING, but one would think they might have a backup generator to run stuff like refrigeration and sewage treatment.
arborani
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:26 p.m.
It's been said that they do have a generator or generators, but obviously not powerful or numerous enough.
PineyWoodsGuy
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:31 a.m.
Triumph vs Aircraft Carrier...........(USA no longer sails battleships). Comparison of USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier: 1,100 ft long; crew of 5,700........Carnival Triumph: 900 ft long; total crew and passengers = 4,000
PineyWoodsGuy
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:23 a.m.
@LISAONE. Four reasons (I'll use layman terms; not nautical terms) 1. Usually 4 large power boats are aboard (in addition to non-powered "life" boats) that are used to ferry passengers onto islands that don't have a deep water port. Just above water level on the hull, there is a very large hatch-door for passengers to board them. They can, depending on the height of the waves, safely operate ship-to-shore. However, out on the high seas the wave height is so unpredictable that it would be dangerous to use them. 2. US Navy has a method for stringing a cable ship-to-ship, then a trolley transports sailors. This ship probably does not have the equipment aboard. Additionally many passenger would be afraid to ride it. 3. Only a small med evac chopper can land on the top deck. Being small, it can only take one or two passengers. One med emergency passenger has ben airlifted off Triumph. Very,very expensive. 3,000 passengers = 1,500 chopper flights. 4. $$$$$ Carnival management is taking the cheapest solution. Keep them aboard and cross your fingers that no bad weather is coming. Those tugs look like two mice trying to drag an elephant. The ship is as big as a battleship, with more people aboard than two battleships. The first time you see a large cruise ship at the dock, you will be Awestruck at its Immense Size!
music to my ear
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:16 p.m.
st francis please quit acting holier than thou Piney did us a favor why you hating on him
St. Francis
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 5:36 a.m.
@PineyWoodsGuy. Personally I would much prefer if you were to use nautical terms. We are not all layman as your comment suggests. This an article about a nautical matter ergo one should use nautical terms. Repost accordingly to avoid recourse.
lisaone
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:45 a.m.
Thank you for that great explanation. I don't think I will be boarding a cruise ship anytime soon. LOL. Not really a laughing matter, I know. I really feel for those people aboard. I hope no one suffers any serious medical issues as a result.
glacialerratic
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:07 a.m.
Towed--not tugged.
lisaone
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:05 a.m.
I am curious....why doesn't some "back-up" cruise ship come and pick them up? May sound silly to some. I have never been on a cruise, but this seems logical to me....instead of keeping everyone on board on a slow miserable ride to Alabama.
Pete
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
Transferring people at sea is a risky business. Given the "bottom line" mentality of the ship owners, and the lawsuit-happy nature of folks in general, I'm sure that they felt that inconveniencing all those people was a better bet in the long run than risking killing even one person by trying to transfer people from one boat to another. Personally, I would rather accept the personal risk (probably quite a bit less than one in 4,000) to avoid days of nasty conditions, but I am rarely consulted when decisions like this are made.
James
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 3:38 a.m.
At-sea transfer of passengers is dangerous. In a non-life threatening situation, it is better to keep them aboard.
An Arborigine
Thu, Feb 14, 2013 : 12:02 a.m.
Anyone in the mood for a Carnival Cruise?
Laura J
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.
We were just aboard The Paradise at the end of January. It went fine, but if there would have been a fire, I can only imagine the confusion and hysteria. Glad we made it out OK.
justcurious
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 10:58 p.m.
It sounds like an unbelievably disgusting situation.