Posted on 01/23/2022 8:28:32 AM PST by ameribbean expat
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A cruise line is in a state of chaos after unpaid fuel bills caused a Miami judge to issue an arrest warrant for the Crystal Symphony cruise ship.
It’s owned by the ultra-luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises.
The warrant gives authorities the ability to seize the ship if it enters U.S. waters.
As a result, the ship is currently docked in Bimini instead of returning to South Florida.
Passengers on the ship have told multiple media outlets that they’ll be shuttled via ferry back to Port Everglades sometime on Sunday.
It comes just days after Crystal Cruises suspended all sailings following a bankruptcy filing by its owner, Genting Hong Kong.
Local 10 News obtained a copy of that complaint which was filed by a fuel company called Peninsula Petroleum.
In the complaint, Peninsula Petroleum claims Crystal Cruises, and one of its sister lines, Star Cruises, owes them some $4.6 million dollars in unpaid fuel bills dating back to last year, with slightly more than $1 million of that debt coming from the Crystal Symphony alone.
(Excerpt) Read more at local10.com ...
What are they going to do, put the boat in solitary confinement?
A second Chinaa virus on Crystal Cruise ships.
The Nerve! Turned the whole thing into a Bittersweet Symphony.
"Yoo hoo! Sailor!"
This ship is where we spent our honeymoon. wow
Unless they’ve changed their COVID rules, no one can get off that ship in the Bahamas. It’s direct onto the ferry and away they go.
Whoops. My husband informs me we were on the Serenity, not the Symphony
Hard for me to believe that people will take an experimental inoculation just to go on a cruise ship. Make sure to get your booster so you are “up-to-date”.
Shuttled by ferry back to Port Everglades. I wonder how small the ferry is and how deep the water is. Will that be a rough ride and what a drag ending to your luxury cruise.
Why I’ll be devastated if this luxury travel brand is gone for good
“Chinese owned “luxury” cruise line.”
We need to know how long this line has been under current ownership.
Hong Kong was not Chinese up to 1998. So in all fairness this might just have origins pre-China Hong Kong.
The ship is listed made in 1995.
Only 1050 max passenger capacity listed. Maybe only sailed covid mode with 600 to 700 passengers or less.
Shuttle what, 80 miles.
Nice.
Ping
Makes sense that it would be confiscated and sold, no?
Is this the beginning of the end of the cruise industry?
The cruise lines have been borrowing money to build new and bigger ships. They expected the stream of money to continue forever. And then the money stopped but the debt continue to grow. Will any cruise line survive? Will anyone want to sail again?
Serious question, do you think it is still reasonable to differentiate Hong Kong owned and China owned? I would have said so at least until the crackdown in HK a year ago. Now, maybe not. Cathay Pacfic was a great airline, and they are in big financial trouble as well.
Genting is a Malaysian company. I don't know the ownership structure of the Hong Kong group, which seems to operate independently and filed for bankruptcy independently of the larger Genting.
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