If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you may have had to worry about rough seas, gastro, poor phone reception, or even COVID – but you probably didn’t have to worry about your ship being arrested.
And yet, Crystal Cruises has in recent weeks diverted two of its liners, the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, to the Bahamas to avoid US ports after an arrest warrant was issued for the Symphony over unpaid fuel bills.
The warrant, issued in Florida, directs US Marshals to “arrest the Defendant vessel, her boats, tackle, apparel and furniture, engines and appurtenances, and to detain the same in your custody pending further order of the Court”, and comes amid a lawsuit by fuel company Peninsula Petroleum seeking millions of dollars in damages from Crystal Cruises.
With its parent company Genting Hong Kong insolvent, Crystal has suspended all its ocean and river voyages, which Crystal CEO Jack Anderson called “an extremely difficult decision but a prudent one”.
“Crystal has been synonymous with luxury cruising for more than 30 years and we look forward to welcoming back our valued guests when we resume operations.
“We wish to thank our guests and travel advisors for their incredible support during these ongoing challenging times,” he said.
Thankfully, passengers diverted to the Bahamas have been sent back to the US via Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while the standoff continues. One only hopes that we’ll eventually have dramatic scenes of the Symphony screaming “you’ll never take me alive, coppers”, before later being perp-walked to court with a jacket covering its smokestacks.
