2010-11-10 09:26

The Carnival cruise ship Splendor sits adrift approximately 150 nautical miles southwest of San Diego, California, Nov 9, 2010. A US Navy aircraft carrier was diverted from a training mission in the Pacific on Tuesday to deliver supplies to an American luxury liner left stranded off the Mexican coast by an engine room fire.[Photo/Agencies]

SAN DIEGO -- Navy helicopters shuttled in supplies Tuesday to 4,500 passengers and crew members expected to remain stranded on a disabled cruise ship off the coast of Mexico at least through Wednesday night.

Mexican seagoing tugboats were expected to reach the Carnival Splendor on Tuesday afternoon to begin the slow process of towing it to the Mexican port of Ensenada. Passengers will be bused back to California from there.

The ship, which left from Long Beach on Sunday, was 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of San Diego when an engine room fire cut its power early Monday, according to a statement from Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines. It began drifting off the coast of northern Baja California.

Monty Mathisen, of the New York-based publication Cruise Industry News, called the fire a freak accident.

"This stuff does not happen, I mean once in a blue moon," he said. "The ships have to be safe, if not the market will collapse."

The last major accident on a cruise ship was when one sank in a Greek harbor in 2007 after hitting rocks. No one was hurt.

The 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew members aboard the Splendor were not hurt either and the fire was put out in the generator's compartment, but the 952-foot (290-meter) Mexican Riveria-bound ship had no air conditioning, hot water or telephone service. Cell phone and Internet service were knocked out because of the loss of power, preventing families from communicating with their loved ones.

Carnival spokeswoman Joyce Oliva said the ship's command has been able to communicate with outsiders on a backup system.

After the fire, passengers were first asked to move from their cabins to the ship's upper deck, but eventually allowed to go back to their rooms.

Bottled water and cold food were provided, and the ship's auxiliary power allowed for toilets and cold running water.

On Tuesday, US sailors loaded cargo planes with boxes of crab meat, croissants and other items for the stranded passengers. They were to be ferried to an aircraft carrier at sea, where helicopters will pick them up and drop them on the ship.

The tugboats were expected to arrive back at the port with the ship around 8 pm PST Wednesday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Kevin Metcalf said. Metcalf said the tugs, which will be escorted by a Coast Guard cutter, must move slowly because the ship is so big.

From Ensenada, passengers will be driven 50 miles (80 kilometers) by bus to the California border, said Oliva, who added that she was unaware of any safety concerns from passengers or their families about traveling by land in Mexico.

Carnival Corp.'s stock was down about 1 percent Tuesday.

The accident deals another blow to the industry, which already has been hurting from a drop in trips to Mexico because of the country's drug violence.

It also will be costly for Carnival, which is refunding passengers, offering vouchers for future cruises and may have to dry dock the ship if the damage is extensive.

Once passengers are dropped off, the Splendor will be towed back to Long Beach, California, a journey that will take days.

"We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience," Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said in the statement. "Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring."