The Splendor departed from Long Beach, California on Sunday for a seven day Mexican cruise, including stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.  However, on Monday, an early morning fire in the ship’s engine room knocked out the ship’s power.   Now, instead of enjoying a Mexican getaway, passengers are stranded aboard a disabled ship that is running low on food and is without air conditioning and hot water. Powerless to move itself, the Splendor is now depending on tugboats to pull it back to California, and passengers are along for the ride.

Carnival will be refunding the passengers’ tickets and offering them discounts and vouchers toward their next cruise.

Cruise ship accidents are rare, but they do occur. In 2006, 50 passengers were injured, some severely, when their cruise ship abruptly swayed portside.  Also in 2006, 11 were injured and one was killed when a cruise ship caught fire between Grand Cayman and Jamaica. In 2007, a ship with more than 1500 people aboard sank after hitting rocks, two people died in the accident. Last May, a machine room fire caused 607 people to evacuate a ship off Norway’s coast.

Some Admiralty Laws in place today that govern injuries and accidents on the high-seas are linked back to arguably the most famous ship accident in history – the sinking of the Titanic.  The sinking of the “unsinkable” ship and large number of fatalities associated with the disaster focused America’s attention on the need for legislation to enable victims to seek recovery for injuries and deaths that occur on the high seas. In 1920, the US Congress adopted the Death on the High Seas Act and the Merchant Marine Act, more commonly known as the Jones Act.

This article tells you everything you need to know. Please read and be extra careful over the Holiday weekend.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Five men who planned to take part in a weekend fishing tournament died when their 24-foot aluminum boat ran under one end of a barge, Louisiana officials said. Three were from the Houston area.

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Capt. Samuel Martin said the boat hit the moored barge late Wednesday but wasn’t discovered until Thursday morning. He said the men apparently hit their heads on the barge’s slanting underside.

A worker spotted the accident scene Thursday morning when he saw one of the victim’s bodies on the barge. The victims 24-foot boat smashed into the barge…. The men were last seen leaving Dulac around 10 p.m. Wednesday night. Investigators said the barge had some lights on it, but they are investigating to determine how many.

The crash happened about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans on the Falgout Canal between Theriot and Dulac . The barge was being used by a crew stabilizing the bank…

Could this tragic accident have been avoided? My heart goes out to the families of those lost in this horrible accident. When commercial industry comes in contact with recreation safety precautions must be taken. Did the barge owners follow the simple navigation rules required when moored in the middle of a waterway? Three lights are required on the back of this barge, red, green and white. Red on the side closest to the bank which means don’t pass on this side, white in the middle and green on the side you are allowed to pass on. Were these rules followed? If so, were they checked for brightness or battery power? Maritime law allows for compensation to the families of the victims. Let’s hope the barge owner comes forward and does the right thing.