A couple of Crystal Cruises' ships were seized on Friday, February 4, by authorities in the Bahamas over unpaid fuel bills.
Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were arrested off Freeport (Bahamas) after disembarking guests on Bimini Island. Only crew were onboard at the time of the seizure.
In an announcement made to the crew members, the captain of Crystal Symphony said the seizure had been "unfortunate" but "actually quite expected."
"The ship has been placed under arrest by the local authorities over some unpaid bills, and as bad as it sounds it's actually quite a good thing to happen."
In January, Crystal Symphony diverted from her scheduled call at PortMiami Florida with 700 passengers onboard.
The vessel was due to return to PortMiami FL following a 14-day Caribbean cruise but instead sailed to Bimini because the warrant empowered US Marshals to seize Symphony in case she entered US waters.
Earlier this month, Crystal Serenity also diverted to the Bahamas after the ship was denied entry to Aruba.
The unpaid bill amounted to US$1.2 million.
Fuel supplier "Peninsula Petroleum Far East" has secured the warrant against the Genting Hong Kong/GHK-owned companies Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises.
In January, Crystal announced plans to pause passenger shipping operations through April 2022.