Technical Issues Cause Cruise Ship to List

Image: PHOTO: A sunlit Carnival Sunshine steaming to her next port-of-call. (photo courtesy of Carnival Corporation & plc) (Carnival Corporation & plc)
Image: PHOTO: A sunlit Carnival Sunshine steaming to her next port-of-call. (photo courtesy of Carnival Corporation & plc) (Carnival Corporation & plc)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 5:01 PM ET, Thu November 1, 2018

A Carnival Cruise ship began listing shortly after it left port in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Many passengers began to panic as the ship tilted dramatically to one side after an equipment malfunction.

One of the fin stabilizers failed to keep the ship upright.

"I didn't think anything of it, since it's not uncommon for ships to rock back and forth. But it didn't rock back. It kept leaning," David Crews told News 6. "Plates and silverware started sliding off the tables. Then the tables themselves started to slide. Glasses and plates started to fall and shatter. At this point, it was pure chaos. Screams. Cries. Panic."

Photos show tableware and food broken and strewn everywhere and items toppled from shelves.

The cruise line issued a statement about the incident, noting that the safety of the vessel was not compromised.

"On Sunday evening, Carnival Sunshine experienced a technical issue which caused the ship to list. There was never any issue with the safe operation of the ship and our officers quickly intervened to correct the situation. Following the incident, evening events resumed for our guests. Carnival Sunshine proceeded on its Caribbean cruise as scheduled. We are very sorry for the disruption this caused. The ship remains fully operational and will sail as scheduled on Friday, November 2, 2018. We remain confident of the safety of the ship as we are committed to the safety of our guests and crew."

While the ship sailed its regular itinerary, some passengers returned home when it docked in the next port in the Dominican Republic.


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Janeen Christoff

Janeen Christoff

Executive Editor - AGENTatHOME | TravelPulse Content Strategy

Editor Executive Editor - AGENTatHOME | TravelPulse Content Strategy true [email protected] 9088 14744 Janeen Christoff caught the travel bug while living in London, England. After two years on the road, she settled in Los Angeles and focused her writing on

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