Cruise Line Execs Carpeted by Senate Committee

The presidents of Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International defended their industry and their practices to senators following two recent high-profile fires that damaged ships, reports AP.

In February, Carnival’s ship Triumph was left without power in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine room fire. Thousands of passengers endured squalid conditions while the ship was towed to Mobile, Alabama. Citing Carnival Cruise Lines President Gerald Cahill evidence to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation,  AP reported that Carnival is working to add more emergency generators to its two dozen ships as well as to install newer sprinkler systems.

Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International, also testified before the committee regarding a fire aboard Grandeur of the Seas.

According to AP, members of the committee also asked questions about the reporting of crimes on cruise ships. The committee’s chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, on Tuesday introduced a bill he’s calling the 'Cruise Passenger Protection Act'.

Source: AP