Cruise Ship Ends Journey in Bahamas to Avoid US Arrest Warrant

An entertainer was among hundreds aboard the Miami-bound Crystal Symphony cruise ship when abruptly ended its journey in the Bahamas on January 23 after a US court granted an order for the ship to be seized over millions in unpaid fuel fees.

Footage taken by Elio Pace shows the Crystal Symphony docked in Bimini in the Bahamas as passengers waited to be transferred to a smaller ferry that would carry them on the final leg of their journey to Port Everglades, Florida.

Pace, an entertainer who said he had expected to work on board the ship until February 23, said: “I wouldn’t believe it unless I was right here experiencing this surreal episode myself!” adding “The people I feel really bad for are the brilliant, beautiful and wonderful loyal staff and crew aboard this ship for whom the Crystal Symphony is their livelihood.”

The Crystal Symphony left Miami on January 8 for a two-week cruise. On January 19, Crystal Cruises unexpectedly announced that it was suspending operations after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed for bankruptcy.

On January 21, Peninsula Petroleum Far East had an arrest warrant approved by a Florida judge, alleging a total $4.6 million in missed fuel payments, with $1.2 million accrued by the Crystal Symphony. Credit: Elio Pace via Storyful