A luxury cruise ship carrying hundreds of passengers and bound for Miami diverted to the Bahamas on Saturday in order to avoid arrest tied to unpaid fuel bills totaling more than $1.2 million, according to a report.
The Crystal Symphony was due to dock in South Florida on Saturday after a two-week cruise in the Caribbean that started on Jan. 8, but instead of returning stateside, it docked at the Bahamian port of Bimini, according to the online tracker Cruise Mapper, NPR reported.
The detour was prompted by a lawsuit filed against Crystal Cruises’ parent company, Genting Hong Kong, according to the report.
Peninsula Petroleum Far East alleged that the company, which also owns Star Cruises, breached its maritime contract by failing to pay a combined $4.6 million in fuel bills when taking into account the money allegedly owed for all of its cruise operators, according to the claim.
Crystal Cruises announced on Wednesday — the same day the lawsuit was filed in federal court — that it was suspending its operations through the end of April.
