Fire on Royal Caribbean cruise ship cuts short Bahamas trip

(Reuters) – Fire aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship forced it to dock at Freeport, Bahamas, yesterday, with all passengers and crew safe but the rest of the trip cancelled, the cruise company reported. Grandeur of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, was on a seven-night trip that left Baltimore on Friday. The 916-foot-long (280-metre) ship was en route to CocoCay, Bahamas, when a fire occurred in its mooring area early yesterday, the company said in a statement. The fire was extinguished in about two hours and the 17-year-old vessel was redirected to Freeport, the company said. As a result of the damage, the rest of the trip was canceled and passengers were refunded their fares and offered a free cruise in the future.