5teamparlay
08-24-2005, 04:09 AM
from baynews9.com
Stranded in the gulf
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Many of the passengers passed the time by gambling.
When Keith Evans boarded a shuttle Monday to the Ocean Jewel casino cruise ship, he expected a nice evening out before getting up early for work the next morning.
http://www.bn9.com/images/news/2005/8/23/ocean2.jpg
But at 5 p.m., no shuttle was there to take him back to shore.
"They said another shuttle was en route and it never happened," said Evans.
Then came 8 o'clock and there was still no shuttle.
"They lied to us the whole time," said Evans. "Didn't tell us what the problem was at all."
The shuttle had engine trouble and the coast guard wasn't letting it operate. A different casino ship might have just headed back to port, but because of a history of mechanical problems, the Ocean Jewel isn't allowed to travel to port without a tugboat escort.
"To avoid a casualty in the channel, where we might end up blocking the channel, or put the crew of another vessel at risk," said U.S. Coast Guard Chief David Bird.
The company could not find a tugboat company in the middle of the night willing to help due to unpaid debts. Therefore, 88 crew members and passengers spent the night on board.
"They had this little buffet that was absolutely ridiculous [that] they had people eat," said one passenger. "The apples were all rotten on there."
Finally, another shuttle was found to retrieve the stranded passengers late Tuesday morning. They arrived in St. Petersburg at about 12:30 p.m. Many were hot, tired and broke.
"You could gamble," said one passenger. "So, basically I think everybody lost what little bit of money they had on them."
The passengers finally got back to shore early Tuesday afternoon.
The delay made Evans more than six hours late to work, and he wasn't able to call ahead of time because he couldn't get a cell phone signal aboard the ship.
The Ocean Jewel suspended operations for the rest of Tuesday, but the next shuttle boat is scheduled to leave for the Ocean Jewel on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The company that owns the Ocean Jewel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few weeks ago. It has been plagued by a variety of operational problems, including shuttle boats running into bridge barriers.
Stranded in the gulf
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Many of the passengers passed the time by gambling.
When Keith Evans boarded a shuttle Monday to the Ocean Jewel casino cruise ship, he expected a nice evening out before getting up early for work the next morning.
http://www.bn9.com/images/news/2005/8/23/ocean2.jpg
But at 5 p.m., no shuttle was there to take him back to shore.
"They said another shuttle was en route and it never happened," said Evans.
Then came 8 o'clock and there was still no shuttle.
"They lied to us the whole time," said Evans. "Didn't tell us what the problem was at all."
The shuttle had engine trouble and the coast guard wasn't letting it operate. A different casino ship might have just headed back to port, but because of a history of mechanical problems, the Ocean Jewel isn't allowed to travel to port without a tugboat escort.
"To avoid a casualty in the channel, where we might end up blocking the channel, or put the crew of another vessel at risk," said U.S. Coast Guard Chief David Bird.
The company could not find a tugboat company in the middle of the night willing to help due to unpaid debts. Therefore, 88 crew members and passengers spent the night on board.
"They had this little buffet that was absolutely ridiculous [that] they had people eat," said one passenger. "The apples were all rotten on there."
Finally, another shuttle was found to retrieve the stranded passengers late Tuesday morning. They arrived in St. Petersburg at about 12:30 p.m. Many were hot, tired and broke.
"You could gamble," said one passenger. "So, basically I think everybody lost what little bit of money they had on them."
The passengers finally got back to shore early Tuesday afternoon.
The delay made Evans more than six hours late to work, and he wasn't able to call ahead of time because he couldn't get a cell phone signal aboard the ship.
The Ocean Jewel suspended operations for the rest of Tuesday, but the next shuttle boat is scheduled to leave for the Ocean Jewel on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The company that owns the Ocean Jewel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few weeks ago. It has been plagued by a variety of operational problems, including shuttle boats running into bridge barriers.