- A Crystal Yachting trips ship diverted to the Bahamas in an apparent attempt to escape an arrest warrant.
- The warrant relates to an unpaid fuel tab, according to case documents obtained by USA Today.
- A US marshal would be prepared to arrest the ship if it showed up in Miami, per Bloomberg.
A Crystal Cruises ship with hundreds of passengers and crew onboard has diverted from its calendared stop in Miami after an arrest warrant was issued, multiple outlets reported.
The Crystal Symphony was due to return to Miami on Saturday, track a 14-day Caribbean voyage, but instead traveled to Bimini in the Bahamas, per The Daily Mail.
According to Bloomberg, if the ship bones in Miami, the terms of the warrant would allow it to be seized to repay a $1.2 million unpaid fuel bill, which is evidently owed by its operator, Genting Hong Kong Ltd.
The warrant resulted from a lawsuit filed by Peninsula Petroleum Far East Wednesday against Crystal Voyages and Star Cruises Limited, per USA Today.
Crystal Cruises did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
One passenger tweeted to about agent Mundy Cruising: “Can you help me change my flight to Heathrow from Miami as we are stuck on Crystal Symphony which has transformed route and is now heading for Bahamas instead of Miami.”
Elio Pace, a musician performing aboard the ship, told The Continually Mail that “every one of these people are trying to reschedule their flights.” But he noted that “there’s no fall apart, there’s no tantrums going on.”
Pace, however, said in an interview with USA Today that he hopes he will be repaid for the additional time he’s had to spend onboard.
—John (@johndresner) January 21, 2022
Passengers had to wait overnight Saturday to be forward by a ferry to Fort Lauderdale after the diversion, The Daily Mail reported.
Genting Hong Kong filed for stopgap liquidation Wednesday, per Bloomberg. It had reported a $1.7 billion loss in May.
Cruise companies have faced many strains in recent months, particularly in relation to the pandemic. Earlier this month, staff and passengers on Norwegian Getaway and Superb Caribbean ships described their difficult quarantine experiences after contracting COVID-19.
Another passenger, who was associating on an unspecified cruise ship, recently said she experienced