“A colossal mess”: Second Crystal Cruises ship diverts to the Bahamas after being denied port entry

“A colossal mess”: Second Crystal Cruises ship diverts to the Bahamas after being denied port entry
By James Harrison


A second Crystal Cruises ship has diverted to the Bahamas after it was denied port entry in Aruba.

This ship, Crystal Serenity, is the second Crystal Cruises ship to stray course to the Bahamas in less than a fortnight in the wake of its parent company filing for liquidation.

According to Business Insider Australia, the company said that the Crystal Serenity was cleared to dock in Aruba on Friday but was denied entry to the port later that day. The ship then docked in Bimini in the Bahamas on Monday, before ferrying the passengers to Fort Lauderdale.

According to The Miami Herald, one passenger on the Crystal Serenity, Nancy Plencer, who reportedly paid over $US75,000 ($AU105,869) for the trip, said the situation is a “colossal mess.”

“Everyone is up in arms. We have spent the majority of this cruise making travel plans, changing plans, losing more money on non-refundable airline tickets and cruise deposits on other lines,” Plencer said.

A statement to Insider from Crystal Cruises said that there were “no reasonable risks or claims made against the vessel” which prevented it from docking in Aruba.

Overnight accommodation was provided by Crystal Cruises and the company said that it would cover the costs of any replacement flights, according to the statement.

Crystal Symphony was set to dock in Miami but diverted to the Bahamas after a federal judge issued an arrest warrant for the ship.

This is because a lawsuit was filed by Peninsula Petroleum Far East in a Miami federal court against the ship under a maritime procedure that allows actions against vessels for unpaid debts.

The suit said that Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, which chartered or managed Crystal Cruises, are both in breach of contract for owing $4.6 million in fuel.

The diversion follows Crystal Cruises announcement last month that it would suspend all operations as its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed to wind up its business after running out of cash.

Genting’s announcement comes off the back of warnings from the company that it could face potential cross-default on financing arrangements worth $2.8 billion due to the insolvency of its German shipbuilding subsidiary MV Werften.

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