Funnel Fire on Carnival Freedom Cruise Ship After Possible Lightning Stike

Funnel fire burned for nearly two hours after a possible lightning strike (Facebook posting)

PUBLISHED MAR 23, 2024 8:26 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Freedom experienced a funnel fire while the cruise ship was at sea in the Bahamas on March 23. The cruise line issued a brief statement reporting that there were no injuries and that the ship was operating normally while the cause of the fire was being investigated.

The 110,000 gross ton cruise ship is sailing on a 4-night cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida to the Bahamas and was at sea after canceling a call at the corporation’s private port called Princess Cays near Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The cruise line and passengers said stormy weather and rough seas had caused the cancelation of the port call.

The fire was reported at 3:15 p.m. local time. Some passengers are saying it appeared after the cruise ship suffered a lightning strike. Passengers are writing online that they heard a loud, startling boom from the storm and then saw the fire. Carnival said it was aware of those reports and investigating the cause.

The fire was burning on the port wing of the ship’s funnel commonly referred to as the “whale tail” due to its shape. The passengers were warned on the public address system and asked to remain off the outside decks and away from their balconies while the fire teams were activated. The ship, which has a capacity of more than 3,700 passengers and 1,150 crew, was approximately 20 miles off Eleuthera when the fire was reported.

Carnival said that the captain also turned the vessel and headed into nearby rain storms “to maximize the efforts to put out the fire.” The fire was reported extinguished after approximately two hours. A portion of the funnel’s wing has fallen onto the open deck.

 

 

 

The cruise ship has resumed course to its next port, Freeport on Grand Bahama, where it was expected on Sunday morning. Once in port, the cruise line said a more complete survey of the funnel was undertaken as well as some initial work to stabilize the damaged portions. The ship is due to return to Port Canaveral on Monday, but the line announced on Sunday the cruise ship will then proceed to the shipyard in Freeport for further work to begin repairs. The Carnival Freedom's March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral have now been canceled. 

The fire comes just short of two years after the same cruise ship suffered another funnel fire while it was docked. The previous fire impacted the other side of the funnel on May 26, 2022, while the Carnival Freedom was docked at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The ship was briefly taken from service with the passengers transferred to another cruise ship. The Carnival Freedom returned to service weeks later without the signature whale tail on the funnel, and she operated until recently before the funnel was restored during a dry docking.

 

Aftermath of the funnel fire (Randalyn Rogers/Facebook)

 

Debris from the funnel landed on the deck below (Facebook)

Meyer Lays Keel for Disney Destiny, Line’s Third LNG Cruise Ship

Meyer laid the keel for Disney's third LNG-fueled cruise ship (Meyer Werft)

PUBLISHED MAR 21, 2024 6:54 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Work on the third LNG-fueled cruise ship ordered by Disney Cruise Line marked a key milestone with the keel laying of the vessel at the Meyer Werft yard in Papenburg, Germany on March 20. The cruise ship which will be named Disney Destiny is part of a large expansion of the company’s cruise operations that launched in 1998 and which today has five ships with three more construction projects all managed by Meyer now underway.

The order for the new class was initially placed in 2016 going to Meyer which had built the line’s previous two cruise ships delivered in 2011 and 2012. The order was expanded in 2017 to include the third ship, which is also the last of Meyer’s pre-pandemic orders. The first of the new ships, Disney Wish entered service in 2022.

Work is currently underway at Meyer’s covered building dock for the Disney Treasure which is due to be delivered later this year. In yesterday’s ceremony, the first block (measuring 38.9 meters wide, 14 meters long, and 6.3 meters high) of the next cruise ship was placed directly in front of her sister ship creating a unique photo opportunity. Like her sister ships, the new cruise ship will be approximately 144,000 gross tons with 1,250 passenger cabins. Passenger capacity is approximately 4,000 people with 1,555 crew.

Disney announced the design theme of the Disney Destiny will be "Heroes and Villains," drawing on the legacy of beloved Disney stories, characters, and theme park attractions. Onboard, the cruise line says guests will encounter heroes and villains alike – including those from beloved Walt Disney Animation Studios stories like "The Lion King," "Hercules" and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" – within the spaces, experiences, and entertainment throughout their voyage.

 

Disney Treasure nearly complete stands tall over the keel laying of her sister ship in the Meyer building hall (Meyer)

 

The latest addition to the fleet is due to enter service in 2025. She follows Disney Treasure which is scheduled for her maiden voyage this December. Meyer is also managing the conversion of the unfinished Global Dream which was purchased by Disney from the bankruptcy of Genting Hong Kong and MV Werften. The ship is also due to enter service in 2025 sailing year-round from Singapore as the Disney Adventure.

"With the keel laying, we have reached another milestone in our partnership with Disney Cruise Line. The third ship in the Wish class will also impress with Meyer quality and be rich in Disney storytelling," says Thomas Weigend, Chief Sales Officer of the MEYER Group and Managing Director of Meyer Werft.

The order as the last from before the pandemic is critical as it provides work for the shipyard and its employees as Meyer continues to deliver the remaining cruise ships in its orderbook. Work is underway on the Silver Ray which was recently floated out from the building dock and is due to enter service in the coming months for Royal Caribbean Group’s Silversea Cruises and Disney Treasure as well as NYK’s Asuka III due to deliver in 2025.

Meyer also recently reached an agreement with Carnival Corporation to build another of the line’s large LNG-fueled cruise ships. It will be the second built in Papenburg and the fourth overall for Carnival Cruise Line. The ship is due to be delivered in 2027 as the tenth LNG-fueled cruise ship built by Meyer for Carnival Corporation. Meyer is diversifying its operations beyond cruise ships to rebuild its business after the pandemic.