Cruise ship being towed slowly into Mexican port of Ensenada after fire in engine room cut power supplyA cruise ship stranded offshore after a fire in the engine room cut its power supply is being towed slowly into a Mexican port, but it will not arrive until at least Wednesday night, the US coastguard said today.None of the 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members on the Carnival Splendour was hurt when the fire broke out early on Monday 200 miles south of San Diego, California. The cruise operator, Carnival Cruise Lines, based in Miami, said the ship's air conditioning, hot water and telephone service were not working, but auxiliary power allowed toilets and cold running water to be restored by Monday night.The coastguard, along with the US and Mexican navies, deployed aircraft and ships to help the stricken vessel, which was drifting about 55 miles off the coast of northern Baja.Two Mexican seagoing tugboats, contracted out of the port of Ensenada, are expected to have returned with the ship, escorted by a coastguard cutter, by about 8pm tomorrow.Passengers will be taken by bus to California, said Joyce Oliva, a Carnival spokeswoman. Once passengers are dropped off, the Splendor will be towed back to Long Beach, California ? a journey that will take days, which is why the passengers will be dropped off in Mexico first.The US navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was diverted to help the ship. Supplies, including bread, utensils, cups, milk, canned food and other items, will be flown to the Reagan, where helicopters will transfer them to the stricken cruise ship.Guests will get refunds, reimbursement for transportation costs and a free future cruise of equal value, the cruise line said.After the fire, passengers were first asked to move from their cabins to the ship's upper deck, but eventually allowed to go back to their rooms. Bottled water and cold food were being provided."We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Carnival president and CEO Gerry Cahill said. "Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring."United StatesCruisesMexicoguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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