The cruise ship stranded in the Gulf of Mexico will be towed to Mobile, Alabama, instead of to the Yucatan Peninsula as had been planned originally, Mexican authorities said Tuesday.
The Carnival Triumph will be taken to Mobile due to logistical considerations and because of the presence of strong winds in the area which have pushed the vessel to the north, Yucatan state officials said.
With the change in plans by Carnival, the largest cruise ship operator in the world, Yucatan authorities suspended the operation they had launched to attend to the 4,200 tourists and crewmembers on board the Triumph.
The state government, said, however, that it remains ready to render emergency assistance if needed.
The Triumph went adrift some 250 kilometers (155 miles) off the Yucatan coast after one of its engines failed, causing a fire that knocked out the vessel’s propulsion system.
The fire was quickly extinguished and nobody on board the ship was hurt.
The cruise ship had set sail last Thursday from Galveston, Texas, and was due back there on Monday.
The vessel will be accompanied by a Mexican navy patrol until it leaves the country’s territorial waters.
