Cruise ship bound for Miami changes course after US arrest warrant

A cruise ship headed to Miami changed course and is now docked in the Bahamas after an arrest warrant was issued by U.S. authorities over unpaid fuel bills, CBS News reported. 

A Miami-based federal judge on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony cruise ship, according to USA Today. 

Peninsula Petroleum Far East (PPFE) filed a lawsuit against Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises seeking $4.6 million in unpaid bills, $1.2 million from the Crystal Symphony vessel alone. 

According to a complaint filed by PPFE on Wednesday, the company wants the Crystal Symphony ship to be sold to pay off about $1.2 million in claims. 

Judge Darrin Gayles of the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida approved the arrest warrant on Friday, USA Today reported. 

The cruise ship is currently docked at the Bahamian island of Bimini, CBS News noted. Ship passengers were taken by ferry to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. 

Various news outlets reported that the vessel had between 300-700 passengers on it before docking. 

Crystal Cruises announced earlier this week that it will suspend operations through late April due to the eventual closure of its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, according to USA Today. 

Elio Pace, a performer on the cruise, told USA Today that he heard rumors about the parent company’s financial troubles before boarding the ship.

“I cannot tell you if I’m going to get paid for this week, let alone for the contracts that are supposed to run until the 23rd of February,” Pace said. “(If) I’m in that predicament, I can guarantee you that everybody else on this ship — the crew and the staff — are in exactly the same predicament.”