A fire broke out Sunday morning in an engine room of the Carnival Triumph. The ship's automatic fire extinguishing system kicked in and soon contained the blaze. No injuries were reported.
The ship departed from Galveston for Mexico last Thursday. The ship lost power and is adrift nearly 500 miles southeast of Galveston.
The passengers and crew have food, water and electricity from generators. Another Carnival ship is transferring more food and drinks onto the Triumph. According to Carnival, there are 3,143 guests and 1,086 crew members on board.
Two tug boats have been dispatched to bring the ship into the nearest port, which is in Progreso, Mexico. The Carnival Triumph is expected to arrive there Wednesday. Carnival said guests will be flown from Mexico back to the U.S. on chartered aircraft.
"All appropriate authorities including U.S. Coast Guard have been notified and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter is presently on site next to the Carnival Triumph and in communication with the ship," Carnival said in a statement.According to ABC News, the Carnival Triumph suffered propulsion problems on at least one of its previous trips. The ship limped back to shore, causing delays for passengers on Jan. 28. Passengers said the ship stopped in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for about 30 minutes before slowly creeping towards Galveston.
Carnival said all guests on the current Carnival Triumph voyage will get a full refund of the cruise, along with transportation expenses. They also will receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for the current voyage.
The company has canceled Carnival Triumph's next two voyages, which were scheduled to depart Monday and this coming Saturday. Carnival said it has been in contact with guests affected by the changes.
