A cruise ship operated by Genting Hong Kong’s luxury Crystal Cruises cruise line was diverted from its original destination of Miami to the Bahamas on Monday to avoid being seized by US marshals.
The detour of Crystal Symphony followed an order from a US judge that the ship be seized as part of a lawsuit launched by Peninsula Petroleum Far East against both Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises for alleged failure to pay US$4.6 million in fuel bills.
Crystal Cruises announced last week that it was suspending operations until at least 29 April 2022 after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed for liquidation amid debts totaling almost US$2.8 billion. However, it said three cruise ships already at sea – Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony sailing in the Caribbean and Crystal Endeavor in Antarctica – would complete their voyages before going on hiatus.
Instead, reports this week revealed that Crystal Symphony had been tracked to a port in Bimini – despite having at least 300 guests onboard. It has since been revealed that those guests have been transported back to Florida by ferry, although around 400 crew have remained onboard amid uncertainty around their futures.
Genting Hong Kong stated last week that it would continue operating cruises out of Asia via subsidiary Dream Cruises in order to protect core assets and maintain value but said it “anticipated that the majority of the Group’s existing operations will cease to operate.”
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