Cruise ships on their way to Miami change course according to American arrest warrant

A cruise ship on its way to Miami changed course and is now docked in the Bahamas an arrest warrant was issued by US authorities for unpaid fuel bills, It reports CBS News.

A federal judge in Miami on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony cruise ship, according to USA Today.

Peninsula Petroleum Far East (PPFE) has filed a lawsuit against Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, claiming $ 4.6 million in unpaid bills, $ 1.2 million from the Crystal Symphony vessel alone.

According to a complaint filed by PPFE on Wednesday, the company wants the Crystal Symphony ship to be sold to pay down around 1[ads1].2 million dollars in claims.

Judge Darrin Gayles at the U.S. District Court in South Florida approved the arrest warrant Friday, USA Today reported.

The cruise ship is currently docked on the Bahamian island of Bimini, CBS News noted. Ship passengers were taken by ferry to the Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

Various news channels reported that the vessel had between 300-700 passengers before docking.

Crystal Cruises announced earlier this week that it will shut down operations until the end of April due to the possible closure of the parent company, Genting Hong Kong, according to USA Today.

Elio Pace, an artist on the cruise, told USA Today that he heard rumors about the parent company’s financial problems before boarding the ship.

“I can not tell you if I will get paid for this week, let alone for the contracts that are supposed to run until February 23,” Pace said. “(If) I’m in that predicament, I can guarantee you that everyone else on this ship – the crew and staff – is in exactly the same predicament.”