Carnival Sues Over Triumph’s Mooring Break – Report

Carnival Triumph wedged up against the USACE dredger, “Wheeler”, on April 3, 2013. U.S. Coast Guard Photo

Carnival Corporation has filed a lawsuit against BAE Systems over damages sustained by the Carnival Triumph cruise ship after she broke free from her moorings at the BAE shipyard in Mobile during a strong April storm.

WATCH: Triumph Set Adrift on Mobile River, Exclusive Video

According to the Birmingham News, Carnival Corp. filed the suit in federal court last week and is seeking $12 million from BAE Systems and related entities to cover the cost of damages and a judgement that would relieve Carnival from any responsibility over the incident.

Carnival Triumph broke free from its mooring at the BAE Systems Shipyard in Mobile when a strong storm packed with 70 m.p.h. winds rolled through the area. No injuries were sustained by workers on the Triumph, however one employee of BAE Systems was killed when a guard shack was blown into the water. The Triumph crashed into a BAE drydock before drifting across the Mobile River and striking a USACE dredger.

According to Carnival’s suit, Triumph was “completely dependent on shore power and other services provided by BAE” April 3 because neither the ship’s main nor emergency generators were functional, the Birmingham News report says. The complaint also claims that BAE secured the ship with unsafe moorings, causing it break free, the report said.

The Carnival Triumph was at BAE Systems for repairs from a February 2013 engine room fire that left the ship adrift for days in the Gulf of Mexico.

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