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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.
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Carnival Ship Funnel Catches Fire After Possible Lightning Strike - Cruise Hive
Carnival Ship Funnel Catches Fire After Possible Lightning Strike.
Posted: Sun, 24 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In May 2022, a fire broke out in the funnel area of the Carnival Freedom while it was docked in Grand Turk. Carnival then canceled three scheduled sailings of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral because of the need to repair the ship's fire damage at a shipyard in Grand Bahama. The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the fire, and Carnival activated its incident response team to support the ship’s crew. Carnival said the ship's captain made multiple announcements to passengers and crew, and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks.
Second Funnel Fire for Carnival Freedom in Two Years
In May 2022, Carnival Freedom’s smokestack caught fire while the ship was docked at the Grand Turk Cruise Center. The ship left Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon bound for Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport, arriving early Tuesday to start work. The all-clear was given shortly after, and the ship proceeded to its next scheduled stop in Freeport and then onto Port Canaveral, Florida, on Monday to debark guests. As the ship was sailing northbound to Freeport, Bahamas, lightning struck the vessel, igniting fire to the funnel’s port side.
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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.
Update on Next Cruise After Carnival Cruise Ship Fire
Friday's five-night sailing also was scheduled to stop at those two ports of call, but in reverse order. 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 said it made the decision after "our technical team completed a thorough assessment" during the ship’s visit Sunday to Freeport in the Bahamas. Damage to the funnel will require the cancellation of Carnival's next two cruises out of Port Canaveral, which were scheduled to depart Monday and Friday. Carnival Cruise Line is also reassuring passengers that the ship’s next voyage, a 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruise departing on March 25 with calls to Amber Cove and Grand Turk, is still planned to set sail on schedule. Firefighterswere able to control the blaze in about two hours and there were no reportedmajor injuries.
Carnival Ship Funnel Catches Fire After Possible Lightning Strike
It was not until October of 2023 — a full 17 months later, and a short five months ago — that the whale tale was replaced.
Guests onboard the sailing with the fire also received a full refund of their fare, including pre-purchased Carnival shore excursions and FunShop purchases. More recently, in October 2023, the Carnival Freedom debuted a new iconic winged funnel after returning from a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain. According to the marine tracking site CruiseMapper, the ship, which was built in 2007, is 948 feet long and can accommodate over 3,500 passengers. For Carnival Freedom, new additions include the addition of the Heroes Military Tribute Bar, a venue that debuted on Carnival’s Panorama in 2019 and has since been installed on new ships Mardi Gras, Celebration and Venezia. In May 2022, the Carnival Freedom caught fire during a five-day cruise to Turks and Caicos.
Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk
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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Another ship, the Carnival Conquest, will travel from Miami to pick everyone up from Grand Turk on Saturday. While fires on cruises with guests are unusual, the risk increases during the construction phase due to the presence of heavy machinery and flammable materials in shipyards. On May 28, 2023, passengers aboard P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Adventure confronted such an event when a fire erupted onboard.
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.
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.
No evacuations were ultimately necessary, and no injuries among passengers or crew have been reported. In May 2022, the ship experienced a blaze in the whale-tale funnel as the ship was docked in Grand Turk. Additionally, the ship’s forthcoming schedule, including a 5-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary departing on March 25, remains as normal. This upcoming cruise is expected to visit Puerto Plata/Amber Cover, Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos on another roundtrip route from Port Canaveral. The current voyage, which departed Port Canaveral on March 21, is expected to arrive back as normal on March 25. Carnival has confirmed it does not anticipate any changes that will delay the ship’s arrival in Florida.
Carnival Cruise Line has updated guests on ship operations and the next cruise after Carnival Freedom had a second funnel fire. The 110,000-gross-ton, 2,980-guest ship that debuted in 2007 welcomed passengers back on board this week and is now on a 14-night transatlantic voyage back to Port Canaveral, where it will return to service Nov. 6. Explorethe latest travel news, advice, updates, upcoming exclusive deals and more. Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
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.
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.
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. When the fire was first reported, the ship’s emergency alert signal was sounded and guests were assembled at their muster stations to don their lifejackets as the situation was quickly evaluated. At press time, Carnival has not cancelled or rescheduled Carnival Freedom’s upcoming sailings. The funnel also caught on fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked in Grand Turk. The Carnival Freedom is scheduled to return to port on Monday morning, following an incident where a fire erupted on board, leading to the cancellation of at least two cruises from Port Canaveral. Carnival said there were no other operational issues with the ship’s systems, and the ship, which was on a four-night cruise, was visiting Freeport on Sunday.
