Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity Seized by US Authorities
Two Crystal Cruise Line ships that had evaded more than $4 million in unpaid fuel bills and a U.S. arrest warrant by docking in the Bahamas, were seized by federal authorities on Friday night.
The news was reported by multiple media outlets.
It was an extraordinary end to a saga that began last month when Crystal Cruise Lines’ parent, Genting Hong Kong—announced it would suspend operations through April.
The Crystal Symphony was the first ship to have its itinerary cut short but, fearing authorities who were waiting back in Miami to seize the ship over $4.6 million in outstanding fuel bills, the ship instead docked in the Bahamas.
Then the Crystal Serenity was forced to cancel several port calls. The ship was scheduled to dock in Aruba and let its passengers disembark but Aruban officials denied the ship entry, forcing its crew to divert to the Bahamian island of Bimini.
Once passengers were removed from Crystal Serenity in Bimini, the cruise line ferried them to Fort Lauderdale and paid for their hotel rooms. In addition, the company revealed it would reimburse any applicable airline change fees.
“There are simply no words to express our deep regret and disappointment,” Crystal Cruises spokesman Vance Gulliksen said.
But Crystal and Genting could not evade authorities for long.
Both ships were commandeered by authorities; both vessels had just crew members remaining onboard. The Crystal Serenity, in fact, was supposed to be a three-and-a-half month cruise that was barely two weeks into its voyage when passengers were apprised of the situation and ferried back to Florida.
The Bahamas are outside of U.S. jurisdiction, so at the time of publication it was not immediately cleared how federal marshals were able to seize the ships.
A spokesman for Crystal Cruises told the Daily Mail in Great Britain in a statement that “We are unable to comment on pending legal matters at this time. Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony’s voyages ended last month and there are no guests onboard.”