Jan 23, 2022 - Economy

Cruise ship changes course to Bahamas after U.S. issues arrest warrant

Ivana Saric

Correction: We replaced a prior photo of another company's cruise ship. In this photo, file photo The cruise liner Crystal Symphony leaves the harbor in Charleston, S.C. on May, 21, 2013. — Correction: We replaced a prior photo of another company's cruise ship. In the above photo, the cruise liner Crystal Symphony leaves the harbor in Charleston, S.C. on May 21, 2013. Photo: Bruce Smith/AP Photo

A Crystal Cruises ship bound for Miami changed course Saturday and sailed toward the Bahamas when U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for the vessel due to unpaid fuel bills, USA Today reported.

What they're saying: "We all feel we were abducted by luxurious pirates!" one passenger posted on Facebook, according to CBS News.

The big picture: A federal judge in Miami issued an arrest warrant for the ship on Thursday, meaning that a U.S. Marshal would have boarded and taken over the ship once it reached U.S. waters, per CBS News.

The ship, the Crystal Symphony, was meant to dock in Miami on Saturday but kept passengers on board an extra day when it changed course for the Bahamas.
Tracking data indicates that the Crystal Symphony is currently docked on the island of Bimini, and passengers were transported by ferry to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, CBS News reported.

State of play: Peninsula Petroleum Far East filed the lawsuit to try to recover $4.6 million in unpaid fuel bills from Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, which chartered or managed Crystal Symphony, per CBS News.

Seizing the Crystal Symphony will repay about $1.2 million of the debt, Bloomberg reported.

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Cruise ship changes course to Bahamas after U.S. issues arrest warrant

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