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"The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs." The fire in the 3,754-passenger ship took place in the port (left) side of the exhaust funnel on Saturday while the vessel was on a cruise to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, heading to Freeport, after a canceled call to Princess Cay due to weather. On Sunday, Carnival Cruise Line sent letters to booked guests advising them that the next two cruises were cancelled so the ship’s funnel could be repaired in Freeport, axing the March 25 and March 29 voyages.
Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike
As the ship only recently came out of dry dock, it may be some time before her funnel is repaired, depending on how the work can be completed. After that incident, the ship was not able to sail and the next cruise was cancelled, while guests onboard were transferred to Carnival Conquest to return to Florida. Ultimately, four cruises were cancelled before Carnival Freedom returned to service on June 11, 2022. Authorities are investigating the incident and all of the ship’s systems are fully operational after the scary situation, and only some areas of the ship’s open decks are closed for safety. Ships head in for a required dry dock every five years under international maritime law, during which cruise lines often install new features.
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The Conquest's next trip, scheduled to depart from Miami on Friday, has been canceled, as was the Freedom's next trip, scheduled to begin Saturday. There is no information yet about whether the ship will depart Grand Turk on schedule to continue its sailing, or if there may be delays. Cruise ships have specialized fire brigade teams to address these risks, trained in firefighting and adept at managing emergencies at sea. While it’s a rare occurrence given the vast number of cruises that embark each year, the industry takes it seriously.
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Last month, passengers on a Carnival cruise from Miami to Seattle were forced to quarantine after people onboard tested positive for COVID-19. Carnival didn't say how many of the approximately 2,100 passengers aboard were infected. Upon docking, all infected passengers were moved to area hotels for isolation. Social media posts show flames spewing from the funnel of the ship and black smoke billowing in the air. Guests aboard Mardi Gras were advised to clear the open decks at the time of the fire, while guests on the starboard side of the vessel – closest to Carnival Freedom – were asked to leave their balconies and remain indoors.
Carnival Freedom's next two cruises from Port Canaveral canceled after exhaust funnel fire - Florida Today
Carnival Freedom's next two cruises from Port Canaveral canceled after exhaust funnel fire.
Posted: Sun, 24 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The vessel had cancelled its call to Princess Cay due to weather conditions. Passengers onboard also witnessed a possible lightning strike that caused the fire to start. A Carnival cruise ship’s exhaust funnel caught fire on Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas, causing the company to cancel its next two voyages. He continued, “The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames.
Carnival has not released how much of a financial hit they took for pulling the ship out of service for two sailings. In October 2023, Carnival Freedom underwent a dry dock in Cadiz, Spain, to receive a new funnel after the 2022 blaze. This process involved separating and rerouting the exhaust pipes, eventually removing the winged portion of the funnel, and recreating its 2022 look. Last Saturday, due to high winds, the ship had to spend a day at sea instead of visiting its private destination, Princess Cay. The fire also impacted the March 25 and March 30 cruises from Port Canaveral, line brand ambassador John Heald said on his Facebook page. The port-side portion of the funnel had fallen onto Deck 10, and the firefighting response put out any flames.
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Similarly, in February 2023, fire alarms echoed on Viking Cruises’ Viking Orion while docked in Sydney, resulting in damage to three cabins. This comes after the vessel’s funnel caught fire in 2022, requiring the ship to cancel sailings and undergo a dry dock. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship funnel catches fire after possibly being hit by lightning in the Bahamas.
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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. "All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival added. 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.
In late 2024, that will expand to five ships with the arrival of the Italian-themed Venezia, a rebranded ship originally built for sister cruise line Costa Cruises. At the time, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of the ship while it was in Grand Turk. Carnival’s flagship, Mardi Gras, is also in Grand Turk today, alongside Carnival Freedom. The Conquest-class Carnival Freedom is in the midst of a 5-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary, having departed Port Canaveral on Monday, May 23. Cruise Critic members were on Freedom during the sailing and posted live during the incident.
In a Facebook post, Carnival's widely followed brand ambassador, John Heald, conceded that many people who booked one of the canceled cruises are "feeling very disappointed," and he apologized for the turn of events. Carnival initially had said it expected no changes in its upcoming cruises, but on Sunday afternoon said the cancellations would be required. Guests booked on upcoming cruises for Carnival Freedom will want to stay in close contact with Carnival Cruise Line for updates and the possibility of cancellations if the ship needs to be removed from service for repairs. The current sailing is a 4-night Bahamas itinerary that was originally to have visited Nassau and Princess Cays.
More than 500 people responded to the post, with many saying they thought Carnival was generous with the compensation offer. But some people who said they were on the cruise that experienced the fire said they thought Carnival should have done more for the people who were on the ship. The ship had left Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, on Monday for a five-day cruise, officials said. In fact, following a fire in May 2022, Carnival Freedom ran without either wing of her funnel until the structure was be replaced just five months ago, during a dry dock in October 2023. This includes the ship’s safety and navigation systems, propulsion, hotel operations, restaurants, and entertainment.
Around mid-afternoon, eyewitness accounts and subsequent reports confirmed a fire aboard the vessel. Carnival reported the flames were extinguished two hours after it began, with damage confined to the funnel, where part of the structure collapsed onto Deck 10. Carnival announced full refunds and future cruise credits for passengers scheduled to depart on the canceled cruises. A cruise ship funnel generally serves as a smokestack to lift emissions above the deck, thus away from passengers and crew.
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