A bizarre incident occurred over the weekend when the cruise ship Crystal Symphony diverted from its intended destination of Miami for the Bahamas instead, in order to avoid an arrest warrant issued by a U.S. judge over unpaid fuel.
The ship was carrying hundreds of passengers and crew at the time, who will now be ferried from the Bahamas to Miami.
The ship’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong Ltd., had reportedly been struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing effect on cruising.
Genting owed the company Peninsula Petroleum Far East $4.6 million in unpaid fees for fuel for three different ships, including the Crystal Symphony.