SAN DIEGO (AP) — A cruise ship that’s been adrift since an engine room fire as it headed for Mexico is awaiting the arrival of two boats that will tow it back to shore.
Speaking by phone Tuesday from a cutter that arrived on scene off the northern Baja coast, Coast Guard Lt. Khris Johns told NBC’s “Today” show it will take about 24 hours to tow the 952-foot-long Carnival Cruise Lines ship to port.
Johns says food and provisions are available to people onboard. And while the ship has lost propulsion, Johns says the ship is running on an alternate generator that’s powering basic services such as sewage and navigation equipment.
According to Carnival Cruise Lines, the blaze on the Carnival Splendor broke out Monday. The ship is carrying 3,299 guests and 1,167 crew members. No one was hurt.
