po cruise fire

• SYDNEY, NSW
• MELBOURNE, VIC
• HOBART, TAS
• BRISBANE, QLD
• ADELAIDE, SA
• CANBERRA, ACT

Small fire breaks out on cruise ship balcony off NSW coast

• Cruise Ship
• New South Wales

Send your stories to [email protected]

Auto news : Can you actually win those car giveaways plastered all over social media?

Top Stories

Wrongly identified Bondi stabber settles with Seven

TODAY IN HISTORY: Beloved crime show presenter becomes murder victim

South Sydney player hit with multi-week ban over 'dumb' play

Australia copped biggest tax rate increase in the world last year

Passengers on a P&O cruise ship were evacuated from their cabins at 3.30 a.m. after a fire broke out, reports say

• Passengers on a P&O cruise ship were evacuated from their cabins after a fire broke out on board.
• They were awoken by an emergency alarm at 3.30 a.m. and told to get their life jackets.
• There were no reported injuries and the ship is due to arrive back in Sydney on Tuesday.

Passengers on board a P&O cruise ship were evacuated from their cabins after a fire was detected on a balcony at 3.30 a.m., news.com.au reported.

A P&O representative told the outlet that the blaze was quickly dealt with. There were no injuries and damage appeared to be limited to one cabin.

According to 9News , the Pacific Adventure was carrying 3,017 passengers and 1,080 crew when the fire broke out off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Related stories

A video showed part of the fire and footage of passengers, with one saying it was their first night on the ship. 

Emma Llewllyn told 9News: "It certainly goes through your mind: 'Are we going to be getting on lifeboats? Are we evacuating the ship?'" 

Llewllyn, who was traveling with her 13-year-old daughter on their first cruise, said the fire was on the deck below them and they could smell smoke in the hallways.

Passengers were awoken by an alarm and told to get their life jackets and evacuate their cabins while firefighters tackled the flames, 9News reported. They were eventually allowed back into their rooms at 5 a.m., and the ship is due to arrive in Sydney on Tuesday.

"This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their co-operation," a P&O spokesperson told Insider. They added: "The extent of the damage and the cause of the fire are yet to be fully determined and remain under investigation."

Watch: How waste is dealt with on the world's largest cruise ship

• Main content

• Travel Updates

Fire breaks out on P&O Cruises, hundreds evacuated

Hundreds of passengers were pulled from their beds after the blaze broke out off the Australian coast.

Missing travellers rescued from Aussie outback

Woman’s horror after plane’s blackout

Disaster at JFK Airport narrowly avoided

Hundreds of people on board a cruise ship have been forced to evacuate from their rooms after a fire broke out on board.

The blaze was detected on a balcony of P&O Cruise’s Pacific Adventure at 3.30am on Sunday off the NSW coast.

The fire was quickly extinguished, a spokesperson said, however the extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

“This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their co-operation,” the spokesperson said.

“There are no reports of injury.”

The spokesperson said the damage appeared to be contained to one cabin.

The ship is currently off the New South Wales coast and is scheduled to return to Sydney on Tuesday.

A group of travellers have been rescued in the Aussie outback after becoming stranded with their vehicle in remote terrain.

More than a dozen passengers have walked off an early morning flight to Indonesia following “technical issues” before takeoff.

A communications error nearly led to a catastrophic incident involving four aeroplanes at JFK Airport in New York.

Fire drama with P&O cruise passengers evacuated after mobility scooter explodes on board

The P&O cruise ship Iona - which went on to join the Verity cargo search - was about to set sail when a passenger's mobility scooter battery caused a fire in the central hub area, leading to an evacuation

• 14:10, 27 Oct 2023
• Updated 14:39, 27 Oct 2023

Passengers were forced to flee the central hub of a cruise ship - later involved in the doomed Verity crew search - after a fire broke out when someone's mobility scooter exploded.

Footage taken on Saturday afternoon on board the P&O cruise ship Iona shows people evacuating the vessel's atrium - which houses the dining and entertainment areas. The incident happened while the ship was still in dock in Southampton, with the blaze extinguished by on board detection systems, a spokesperson confirmed.

Three days later, the cruise ship was involved in the search for missing crew members of the downed Verity cargo boat, which sunk after a collision in the North Sea. One person died and two others were pulled from the water, though four remained missing when the search was called off yesterday.

A passenger on the Iona - who did not wish to be named - told the Mirror the evacuation took place around 5pm. They said: "The fire was a mobility scooter lithium battery. The atrium had to be evacuated and crew worked hard to get everything back to normal. The battery was left in Southampton. It was more smoke than a fire."

Video seen by the Mirror shows people sitting on the ground floor of the atrium when a bang sends a spark from the above balcony and a scream can be heard. The smoke alarm then begins sounding. The camera pans up to the raised area and a flash of light can be seen. Confused passengers look on as an elderly man with crutches is helped away by several people. A crew member can be seen with a phone to his ear as people wait nearby.

The P&O spokesperson said: " There was a fire in Iona's atrium which was caused by a lithium battery on a mobility scooter. Thankfully it was swiftly extinguished by our fire detection systems." It's understood the incident did not delay the ship setting off by any great length of time and after spending a day at sea, it docked for some time in Hamburg, Germany.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the Iona then responded to distress calls after the British cargo ship the Verity - which had seven crew on board - crashed into fellow cargo vessel, the Bahamas-flagged Polesie, carrying 22 people. The P&O cruise full of holidaymakers was among the ships in the vicinity that joined the search.

There were reports that three people were pulled from the water and onto the cruise liner itself. Also in the rescue mission were the vessels 'Hermann Marwede' and 'Bernhard Gruben'. The Iona has a doctor and medical assistance on board while paramedics are also available for on board rescue helicopters. It eventually was able to continue on to scheduled stops in Rotterdam and Bruges.

The unnamed Iona passenger went on to tell the Mirror reports of mass panic on board the cruise are not true and they praised the response of the staff during the harrowing search. They said: " They [P&O) have been superb and the crew have worked tirelessly to make our cruise amazing and safe during some very difficult situations.

"The captain has again been superb and calm when again behind the scenes they must have been going through some very difficult scenarios. During the search and rescue, staff were ever present and those on the boat made sure outside areas were out of bounds due to possible helicopter landings. The conditions the crew members encountered who were off ship in smaller rescue vessels can’t have been pleasant."

They added: "The captain and crew kept us safe and did their utmost to keep the situation calm and orderly." The Sun reported emergency services faced brutal 30mph winds, 10ft waves as well as fog as they hunted for the missing people in temperatures as low as 11C.

MORE ON P&O Company Mobility scooter Holidays

Fancy an escape sign up to the chill newsletter for weekly inspiration and advice on uk holidays.

• Australia News

Fire on cruise ship off NSW coast leads to evacuations

A fire on a cruise ship off the NSW coast has forced the evacuation of hundreds of passengers from their rooms.

The blaze was detected around 3am on the balcony of the P&O cruise ship.

There have been no reports of injury and the fire has been extinguished.

• Breaking News
• University Guide
• Meghan Markle
• Prince Harry
• King Charles III

Panic as fire breaks out on cruise ship forcing thousands of passengers to evacuate their rooms in the middle of the night

• Fire broke out on Pacific Adventure cruise ship
• Passengers were evacuated from their rooms

By Jesse Hyland For Daily Mail Australia and NCA NewsWire

Published: 19:22 EDT, 27 May 2023 | Updated: 20:53 EDT, 27 May 2023

View comments

Thousands of cruise passengers have been evacuated from their rooms after a fire broke out onboard a ship.

The blaze started on the balcony of the Pacific Adventure cruise ship, which was stationed off the NSW  coast, about 3:15am on Sunday.

Guests were evacuated from their rooms to the muster stations.  

P&O Cruises Australia confirmed the fire was extinguished shortly after it was detected.  

'This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their co-operation,' a statement read.

A fire broke out on the balcony of P&O's Pacific Adventure cruise ship on Sunday morning

There are no reports of any injuries. 

A passenger onboard the cruise ship told Daily Mail Australia that a cigarette was the cause of the fire.

'Someone set the bed on fire with a cigarette,' she said.

Guests were woken up by alarms and a voice-over in the middle of the night.

'I thought I was dreaming because there was a voice-over,' the passenger recalled.

'But when it kept going off and then the alarms that's when people realised it was getting serious.'

'Everyone remained calm in the process. I felt sorry for the parents with the screaming children. They must of been frightened.' 

The blaze was reportedly contained to a single cabin. 

Guests were able to return to their rooms at about 5:20am after the fire was put out.  

Thousands of guests onboard the vessel were evacuated from their rooms in the middle of the night

The extent of the damage to the ship is still being determined.

The passenger explained the mood onboard the ship was 'tired but upbeat' as staff reassured passengers.

'Staff have been amazing,' she said.

'They have carried on like nothing has happened but giving lots of reassurance and positive vibes.'  

The Pacific Adventure is in the middle of a three-day cruise in and out of Sydney. 

The ship is scheduled to return to Sydney on Tuesday. 

It's understood there are 3,017 guests and 1,080 crew onboard. 

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to P&O Cruises Australia for comment.

Share or comment on this article: Pacific Adventure fire breaks out with passengers evacuated on P&O Cruises Australia off NSW coast

Share what you think

• Worst rated

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

• Follow DailyMail
• Subscribe Daily Mail
• Follow @dailymail
• Follow MailOnline
• Follow Daily Mail

From the Makers of Candy Crush

• Back to top

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

MORE SECTIONS

• Dear Deidre
• Visual Stories

MORE FROM THE SUN

• Newsletters
• Deliver my newspaper
• Sun Vouchers
• The Sun Digital Newspaper

Chaos as fire breaks out on P&O cruise ship after scooter battery bursts into flames with passengers urgently evacuated

• Published : 14:30, 27 Oct 2023
• Updated : 14:54, 27 Oct 2023

HORRIFIED passengers were forced to flee a cruise ship - after a mobility scooter exploded and triggered a blaze.

Footage shared on social media shows alarms whirring on P&O's Iona as cruisers evacuate the vessel's grand atrium.

The fire broke out on Saturday while the ship, which has 30-restaurants, was still docked in Southampton .

Onboard sprinklers quickly extinguished the fire, a P&O spokesperson told The Mirror .

Do YOU have a cruise ship story? Get in touch: [email protected]

The incident did not delay the four-pool ship setting off to Hamburg, Germany .

Read More cruise stories

The perfect first-timer-friendly mini cruises to Amsterdam, Paris & Hamburg

Suites on Iona command up to £3,800 for a 14-night Christmas trip to The Canaries .

The same ship was involved in hunting the crew of the doomed Verity cargo ship who went overboard in the North Sea on Tuesday.

One person died and two others pulled from the water when the British-flagged vessel sank after colliding with cargo ship Polsie , 14 miles south-west of the German island of Helgoland.

Four were still missing when the search was called off on Thursday.

Most read in The Sun

Ryan Giggs to become dad for 3rd time aged 50 with model, 36

Hundreds gather for funeral of 'funny and kind' Gogglebox star George Gilbey

Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction overturned as monster faces re-trial

Fans think Sky are breaking blackout rule but there's reason clash is on TV

A P&O spokesperson said: "There was a fire in Iona's atrium which was caused by a lithium battery on a mobility scooter.

"Thankfully it was swiftly extinguished by our fire detection systems."

• CruiseMapper
• Cruise news

Fire breaks out in P&O Cruises Iona ship's Atrium

Passengers were evacuated from the P&O Cruises UK ship Iona following an incident where the battery of a mobility scooter exploded and caught fire. This occurred shortly before the ship was scheduled to participate in search efforts for crew members aboard the ill-fated cargo ship Verity .

The fire originated in the Atrium/central hub area at ~5 PM SBT (~4 PM UTC) last Saturday, October 21, while the vessel was berthed in homeport Southampton . Footage from the ship's 3-level Atrium depicted flames on a balcony, accompanied by the activation of fire alarms and the assembly of passengers on the ground floor ( deck 6 ).

According to a P&O UK spokesperson, the fire resulted from a lithium battery on a mobility scooter but was promptly extinguished by the ship's fire detection systems. The incident caused minimal delays, and the liner continued the voyage, arriving in Hamburg Germany , where Iona remained docked for some time.

In response to distress calls, MS Iona assisted the cargo ship Verity after a collision with the cargo vessel Polesie in the North Sea, which ultimately led to the sinking of the cargo ship. Tragically, one crew lost his life, while two others were rescued from the sea.

Regrettably, the search for the remaining four crew members was called off on Thursday.

For more P&O Iona incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page .

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

P&O Cruises and Cunard hit back over ‘fire and rehire’ accusations

‘we will not dismiss and re-engage staff’ – carnival uk spokesperson, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get simon calder’s travel email, thanks for signing up to the simon calder’s travel email.

Carnival UK, the British subsidiary of the world’s biggest cruise firm, has hit back at accusations that it plans to “fire and rehire” more than 900 staff in a bid to cut costs.

The company’s brands include Cunard and P&O Cruises , and vessels such as Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and Iona.

P&O Cruises is an entirely separate entity from P&O Ferries, which sacked 800 crew in 2022 and replaced them with workers from overseas on lower pay .

Nautilus International, the union which represents “maritime professionals” based in the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland, has been in negotiation with Carnival UK for the past 10 days. It said in a statement that on the evening of 22 November, the union was notified of an “HR1”. This is an official Insolvency Service form “for employers who need to notify the government of potential redundancies”.

The service says: “You are required by law to notify us of a proposal to dismiss 20 or more employees as redundant at one establishment within a period of 90 days or less.”

Nautilus International said Carnival had included the statement: “Dismissal and re-engagement may be considered if agreement cannot be reached on new terms.”

But the cruise firm hit back. A spokesperson said: “You may have seen factually inaccurate and misleading media reports today which are causing us significant reputational harm. As such we are consulting with external lawyers and will take the strongest possible action.

“We are categorically not making any redundancies and we will not dismiss and re-engage staff. In fact we have significantly increased our headcount across our fleet.

“This is an annual pay review process with our maritime officers onboard our ships which will ensure alignment. This will empower our staff, deliver the right teams across our fleet and attract and retain talent to work on our ships.”

The TUC posted on X: “Remember how after the P&O scandal last year the Conservatives promised to clamp down on rogue bosses? Well...they didn’t. And now it’s happening again.

“Time to outlaw fire and rehire.”

The message was reposted by Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary.

Later, the two organisations – Nautilus International and Carnival UK – issued a joint statement. It read: “Both parties are committed to engaging in meaningful consultation in finding a way forward following the start of consultation on proposed contractual changes for 919 Maritime Professionals.

“Carnival UK has reassured Nautilus International of there being no intent to undertake steps towards dismissal and re-engagement and has rescinded the HR1 form submitted to the insolvency service, whilst providing an update the relevant Bermudan authorities.

 “Both Nautilus International and Carnival UK are working cooperatively towards a negotiated settlement in the interest of all parties.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Cruise firm Carnival UK withdraws threat to fire and rehire more than 900 staff

Operator of P&O Cruises and Cunard fleets agrees to consult with seafarers’ union over any proposed changes to employment contracts

Carnival UK has committed not to fire and rehire its cruise ship staff, after it was revealed that the company had made provisions to potentially dismiss and re-engage more than 900 seafarers on its P&O Cruises and Cunard fleet.

The cruise operator’s Bermuda-based employment firm last week notified authorities including the UK Insolvency Service of a consultation to vary the terms and conditions of 919 maritime workers across its 10 UK-based ships.

On the HR1 form, a type of document that is normally used to give legal notice of redundancies, Carnival UK said there were no redundancies proposed, but added: “Dismissal and re-engagement may be considered if agreement cannot be reached on new terms.”

The Nautilus union, which was notified of the filing on Wednesday evening, argued that the company’s proposals could mean staff losing up to 20% of their annual take-home pay.

However, after talks on Friday, Carnival UK announced it had rescinded the HR1 form and with Nautilus issued a joint statement saying both parties were “committed to engaging in meaningful consultation”.

In the statement, they said: “Nautilus International and Carnival UK are able to confirm, following joint discussions held this afternoon, that both parties are committed to engaging in meaningful consultation in finding a way forward following the start of consultation on proposed contractual changes for 919 maritime professionals.

“Carnival UK have reassured Nautilus International of there being no intent to undertake steps towards dismissal and re-engagement and have rescinded the HR1 form submitted to the insolvency service, while providing an update to the relevant Bermudan authorities.

“Both Nautilus International and Carnival UK are working cooperatively towards a negotiated settlement in the interest of all parties.”

FTSE 100-listed Carnival earlier said that it was “categorically not making any redundancies” and had “significantly increased our headcount across our fleet”.

The company said the HR1 form had been submitted as a legal obligation in “an annual pay review process with our maritime officers onboard our ships which will ensure alignment. This will empower our staff, deliver the right teams across our fleet and attract and retain talent to work on our ships.”

after newsletter promotion

Nautilus executive officer Martyn Gray said withdrawing the HR1 form was a welcome move from Carnival UK. He said: “We thank them for their commitment to not dismiss and re-engage and look forward to working with them to come to a negotiated settlement in the interests of all parties.”

He added: “However, fire and rehire or dismissal and re-engagement, should never be an option for any employer to force changes to terms and conditions and the UK government should commit to outlawing this, a statutory code of practice is not enough.”

• Trade unions
• Employment law
• Travel & leisure

More on this story

GMB accused of ‘bullyboy tactics’ in alleged attempt to take over TSSA

P&O Cruises and Cunard threaten to fire and rehire more than 900 UK staff

RMT backs independent candidate Jamie Driscoll for north-east mayor

Labour-linked TSSA union faces fresh bullying allegations

Unfinished and unwanted 9,000-passenger cruise ship to be scrapped

‘Lovely to be back onboard’: Princess cruise ships return to sea

How Labour’s plan for ‘fair pay’ deals looks to solve UK social care crisis

Carnival cruises posts $3bn quarterly loss due to Covid

Stranded Mauritian cruise workers finally begin journey home

Holiday pay ruling ‘entitles many UK workers to thousands in unfairly deducted wages’

Most viewed.

Fri 26 Apr 2024

2024 newspaper of the year

@ Contact us

Your newsletters

P&O Cruises and Cunard ‘withdraw fire and rehire threat’ sent to 900 staff

Employees had been asked to accept a 20 per cent pay cut or face redundancy, the nautilus union claimed.

The world’s largest cruise operator has backed down over plans to “fire and rehire” more than 900 staff unless they accept a pay cut.

The Nautilus union said Carnival UK told authorities in the UK and Bermuda of its intention to change employment terms and conditions for 919 crew across 10 of its vessels.

But the union has now said that urgent discussions between Nautilus International and Carnival UK has led to a commitment that the company will withdraw the threat of fire and rehire for 919 maritime professionals.

Crews on the fleets that were to be affected included those on P&O Cruises and Cunard, on ships such as the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2, the union said.

P&O Cruises is separate to P&O Ferries, which was embroiled in a row over the sacking of hundreds of workers last year.

In a leaked letter seen by i , which Nautilus claimed was sent to 919 employees from Fleet Maritime Services, a company registered in Bermuda that employs staff for Carnival UK’s Cunard and P&O cruises, staff were given “Advanced Notification of Redundancies”.

The letter stated “dismissal and re-engagement may be considered if agreement cannot be reached on new terms”.

Martyn Gray, a representative for Nautilus International, the union that represents “maritime professionals” based in the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland, said the withdrawal of the threat of fire and rehire “is a welcome move from Carnival UK and a positive indication of their commitment to engage in a meaningful consultation with us over changes to members terms and conditions”.

He added: “We thank them for their commitment to not dismiss and re-engage and look forward to working with them to come to a negotiated settlement in the interests of all parties.

“However, fire and rehire or dismissal and re-engagement should never be an option for any employer to force changes to terms and conditions and the UK Government should commit to outlawing this – a statutory code of practice is not enough.”

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh told i : “The news that fire and rehire is now no longer on the table for these workers is welcome. However, it is scandalous that the Conservatives allow this shameful practice to continue. Every second it remains legal, workers will have this threat hanging over them.”

She added: Labour will end the scourge of fire and rehire by banning the practice once and for all.”

After the P&O Ferries sackings, which the company’s boss Peter Hebblethwaite admitted broke the law, the then-secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps said the Government would “send a clear message to the maritime industry that we will not allow this to happen again”.

But union officials have criticised the Government for failing to implement measures to ban “fire and rehire”.

A union spokesperson said new legislation was brought in, including a nine-point plan for seafarers that extended the minimum wage and implemented a voluntary Seafarers charter.

But the new charter does not apply to cruise liner staff, while a Government proposed statutory code of practice is yet to be implemented, the spokesperson said.

i has contacted the Government for comment.

Heathrow passengers face May bank holiday misery as refuellers to strike

The ships with employees that had been threatened by fire and rehire include P&O Cruises liners the Arcadia, Aurora, Azura, Ventura and Cunard cruise liners, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria – all of which are registered outside the UK.

A union representative told i that because most staff are registered as working in the UK, British employment standards should still apply.

A Carnival UK spokesperson told i the firm was “categorically not making any redundancies”.

“This is an annual pay review process with our maritime officers onboard our ships, which will ensure alignment. This will empower our staff, deliver the right teams across our fleet and attract and retain talent to work on our ships.”

Most Read By Subscribers

Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Carnival Freedom ship caught fire Saturday near the Bahamas after passengers reported a lightning strike on the boat during a thunderstorm .

Carnival Cruise Line said the crew reported a fire on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, sailing to Freeport after being unable to dock at Princess Cay due to weather conditions. 

"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire," Carnival Cruise Line said. "While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday."

LIGHTNING FATALITIES WERE SECOND LOWEST ON RECORD IN 2023, SAFETY COUNCIL SAYS

Around the time of the fire, radar showed a storm cell over the area and a lot of lightning activity.

Multiple passenger videos show flames and dark smoke billowing from the exhaust funnel as rain continues to pour onto the deck.

Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was supposed to dock at Princess Cay on Saturday about 9 a.m., but passengers were told that the boat would continue to Freeport due to strong winds . 

During the afternoon, the rain returned, and passengers reported hearing loud thunder and then seeing the smoke. Soon after, guests were told to remain in their cabins.

"Why is our tail on fire?" someone can be heard saying in the video recorded by Barnes. "That's not good, y'all."

On Monday, Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral , where guests disembarked.

The cruise line said damage to the ship is "more than we first thought" and will require immediate repair to stabilize the funnel. Cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25th and March 29th have been canceled. All guests on the canceled trips will receive a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.

FOX Business reported that the same cruise ship caught on fire in 2022 after being struck by lightning. 

Another video recorded on Saturday by X user @breezebreeze showed the fire on the ship.

"Carnival Freedom on fire AGAIN!!" they wrote on X.

Original article source: Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike