Cold comfort likely in the small print for those aboard Crystal Symphony liner rerouted to avoid arrest over unpaid fuel bills
Cruise ships, called “floating petri dishes” early in the pandemic for their role in propagating infection, are back in the news. One company, in what would be an ugly alliance of capitalist and communist exploitation, is accused of colluding with the government of Cuba to force Cuban crew members to work under “slave labour” conditions. Another, Crystal Cruises, chose not to return its ship Crystal Symphony to Florida, for fear that it would be arrested for $4.6m (£3.4m) in unpaid fuel bills. It was diverted to Bimini in the Bahamas and its passengers were obliged to end their two-week dream cruise with a vomit-inducing ferry trip through what was called “inclement weather”.
According to a legal expert quoted by the Washington Post, their claims for compensation are likely to be limited by the terms and conditions that cruise companies tend to impose on their customers. No one familiar with the dark arts of this multibillion-dollar business will be surprised after the notorious “poop cruise” of 2013, in which raw sewage backed up into passenger areas. Lawyers for its owner, Carnival Cruise Line, argued that the “ticket contract makes absolutely no guarantee for safe passage, a seaworthy vessel, adequate and wholesome food and sanitary and safe living conditions”.
