The cause of the fire that broke out on Carnival Triumph, causing it to be left adrift for days, has been determined. The U.S. Coast Guard said the fire started due to a leak in a fuel-oil return line running from one of the ship's engines.
The leaking oil hit a hot surface which ignited the fire on board Triumph. The crew was able to control the fire quickly, but it left the ship without power.
"Fire suppression was immediately activated by the crew, first by waterfog and then by (carbon dioxide). They did a very good job," Teresa Hatfield, the lead investigator for the Coast Guard said, according to CNN.
"We are looking at the cause of the fire and why the ship was disabled for so long, and we are also looking at the crew response to the fire as well."
The investigation will continue for several months. The Coast Guard has interviews 21 passengers and crewmembers so far while the boat was being dragged to a port in Mobile, Alabama.
An oil return line on a ship is inspected regularly but Hatfield did not say when it was last inspected.
The Carnival Triumph left Galveston, Texas on Feb. 17 on what should have been a four-day cruise to Mexico when the fire left the ship without power or water. The ship was left adrift in the Gulf of Mexico and had to be dragged by tugboats to port.
The ordeal took several days and the passengers were subjected to horrenoudous conditions such as overflowing toilets, long lines for food, foul odors, and tent cities for sleeping on deck.
Carnival Cruise Line President Gerry Cahill apologized for the experience that the passengers went through while on board.
"No one here from Carnival is happy about the conditions on board the ship," Cahill said according to NPR, "and we obviously are very, very sorry about what is taking place. There is no question that conditions onboard the ship are very challenging."
"We pride ourselves in providing our guests with a great vacation experience, and clearly we failed in this particular case," Cahill told CNN before the ship docked.
Passengers will be given a full refund on their cruise and they were offered 15-20 percent off a future cruise, in case they want to do this all over again.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
