Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; no passengers or crew injured

Table Of Content

• Passengers aboard Carnival cruise ship that caught fire return to Port Canaveral
• crew members die on Holland America ship; fire breaks out on Carnival cruise
• MSC to Construct New Hospital Ship for People in Africa
• Bill Maher Compares Nickelodeon To Neverland Ranch After Watching ‘Quiet on Set’
• Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; sailings canceled
• Hotels With Cruise Shuttles For Every Major Port in America

Carnival Freedom experienced a fire in the starboard “wing” of its iconic whale-tale funnel while the ship was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday, May 26, 2022. No injuries have been reported, and the fire has been successfully extinguished. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught fire during a port visit in Grand Turk.

Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years - USA TODAY

Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years.

Posted: Sun, 24 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Passengers aboard Carnival cruise ship that caught fire return to Port Canaveral

The Carnival Freedom's next voyage was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon on a five-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. That cruise had port-of-call stops scheduled at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and at Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Carnival said it made the decision after "our technical team completed a thorough assessment" during the ship’s visit Sunday to Freeport in the Bahamas. One passenger told WESH 2 News that passengers onboard the ship put on life jackets, but said no evacuations were ultimately ordered. One video shared by user @SantaPanda39 shows what appear to be passengers on a nearby ship watching the fire. It can be seen burning within the funnel on top of the ship with dark smoke billowing into the air.

crew members die on Holland America ship; fire breaks out on Carnival cruise

As a result two cruises were canceled as the ship will require extensive repairs. No word yet on if Freedom will see any canceled cruises from this incident. The ship was planned to be at sea today before returning to Port Canaveral Monday morning. In the 2022 incident, Carnival told FOX 35 in a statement that all guests and crew were safe. A second ship, Carnival Conquest, was sent to pick up the 2,500 passengers and 972-person crew.

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But, Heald added that he wanted to assure affected passengers that, "when you rebook, using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the fun you deserve." There were about 3,700 passengers onboard the ship when the fire occured. And the two upcoming sailings, which were canceled, likely would have had a similar passenger count amid the busy Spring Break season. A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the Florida-based ship's next two sailings are canceled. Earlier this week, in a separate incident, the Coast Guard said that some passengers aboard a Carnival cruise ship heading to Norfolk, Virginia, reported they were feeling ill after smelling chemical fumes.

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More than 1,000 crew members were also aboard at the time of the fire. In 2016, more than 500 passengers and crew were evacuated from a burning ship about a mile off Puerto Rico's north coast. Many aboard the Caribbean Fantasy ship required medical care, though there were no reported fatalities. Carnival said the port side (left side) of the ship's exhaust funnel – easy to spot due to its tail-like shape – caught fire on Saturday as the cruise was sailing near the Bahamas.

The cruise line said a technical team determined the ship sustained enough damage that it will need repairs before it can be returned to scheduled cruises. The funnel was stabilized, passengers were expected to be returned to Port Canaveral, and the ship will set off to Freeport for repairs, it said. The company says its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames. As photos and video taken aboard the Carnival Freedom illustrate, black smoke and flames poured out of the ship’s funnel as passengers donned life jackets and were evacuated from the vessel’s upper decks. The damage would "require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel" after disembarking guests in Port Canaveral on Monday, the company said in an updated statement following the assessment. Carnival said that, “We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests,” and that it would provide all guests on canceled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.

Fire destroys funnel on Carnival cruise ship; sailings canceled

There were no injuries, but the incident prompted the line to cut the ship's last voyage short and cancel its May 28 departure. It measures 952 feet in length, has 13 decks and can accommodate up to 2,980 passengers and 1,150 crew. The cruise line confirmed that a part of Carnival Freedom caught fire after the ship docked at Grand Turk.

Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. A short time later, guests were cleared to disembark for their day in Grand Turk, while evaluations continue aboard the ship.

Passengers safe on Carnival Freedom

The most spectacular cruise ship fire in recent years was aboard Carnival Freedom, when the ship’s iconic “whale tale” funnel caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked in Grand Turk. No injuries were reported, and while the ship was repaired, it has not yet received its new whale tale. The fire was safely extinguished by the ship’s fire response team, with no injuries reported.

The next Conquest voyage, which was intended to leave Miami on Monday, will instead depart Tuesday. What caused the most recent incident is still being investigated, according to the cruise company. No one on board the ship was injured, but Carnival said two fire crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation. In February 2023, a fire broke out aboard Viking Cruises’ Viking Orion while the ship was docked in Sydney, Australia, with three cabins damaged. Preliminary reports indicate that fire may have been caused by a “corded device” and there were no injuries, thanks to the crew’s quick response to contain and extinguish the fire. Fire is the gravest threat aboard any cruise ship, and while thousands of cruises set sail every year without such hazards, these dangerous situations do happen on rare occasions.

"Carnival Freedom's emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship's funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk," Carnival said in a statement provided to Newsweek on Thursday. "All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation." "On Thursday morning while in port at Grand Turk, Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel," said the cruise line in a statement. "All guests and crew are safe, and all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning." Carnival says the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response teams, and that all guests and crew are safe.

It commenced its trip two days earlier on March 21, departing from Port Canaveral. "All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event," the cruise line said. "We’ve been in contact with the families of both team members and are offering our support to them and to all of our crew at this difficult time." On Saturday evening, "Carnival Freedom guests enjoyed the Elegant Night dinner as planned, and, with the exception of the open decks, all areas of the ship are fully functioning," Carnival said in its statement.

“Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols,” the company’s statement said. The statement closed, noting, "Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols." A Carnival cruise ship caught fire as it was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday morning, officials said.

The Carnival Freedom ship was in Grand Turk on a five-day cruise when a fire inside the ships funnel started, according to a press release from Carnival. “No guests were hurt, and the ship remained fully operational,” said Matt Lupoli, a spokesman for Carnival Cruise Line. But he said two members of the carrier’s fire response team were treated for minor smoke inhalation. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship caught fire over the weekend while passengers were aboard.

Dutch government inspectors determined the vessel to be "fully operable," and this was "confirmed" by the U.S. "We were celebrating the last day of the cruise," she said, when the mood changed "to something extremely somber." Built in 2007, the 948-foot Carnival Freedom can carry just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper. His focus is often U.S. politics, but he frequently covers other issues including the latest developments in Russia-Ukraine war and health. Before starting at Newsweek in 2021, Xander was a reporter at VTDigger, Vermont's largest news outlet, where he wrote about the legislature and state government and worked on investigative projects. His work has also been published by PBS Newshour, Politifact and NPR affiliates including WNYC in New York.