A lawsuit accuses Carnival Cruise Lines of knowing about fire risks before the Carnival Triumph set sail earlier this year. The Triumph made headlines when a February 10th hose leak fire broke out in engine No. 6.

The ship, according to The Associated Press (AP), was returning from Mexico when the fire disabled the vessel. The lawsuit alleges that Carnival knew about leak risks and recommended precautions one month before departure. More than 4,000 people were onboard at the time of the fire. The lawsuit was brought against Carnival Cruise Lines and Carnival Corporation, its parent company, on behalf of dozens of passengers

In a deposition taken from the ship's captain, Angelo Los, his first notification from Carnival concerning fuel leaks from flexible hoses was in January. Los was shown the January 2nd compliance notice citing nine fuel leaks on Carnival Corporation's ships over two years, according to the AP. Los said he believed that Carnival knew about the issue since March 2012 and that spray guards meant to prevent fires were installed, but not on engine No.6. Carnival said spray shields were an extra step, but are not mandated, the AP indicated.

Passengers describe raw sewage, human waste, and biohazard bags in passenger deck areas and outside passenger doors, according to CNN. In fact, the event is popularly known as the "poop cruise," wrote CNN, describing the four days in which the boat drifted with no air conditioning and, for the most part, no lights, water, food, or working toilets.

CNN learned that the Triumph set sail with just four of its six generators fully working, and that Carnival knew it had an ongoing generator fire hazard in its fleet's ships. The generator involved in the Triumph fire had been long overdue for maintenance according to a number of Carnival safety reports, and was not always in compliance with the Safety Laws of the Sea (SOLAS), according to the ship's engineer. Carnival maintains that the fire was not due to the generator's lack of maintenance.

Sources:

• The Associated Press; Lawsuit: Fire Risk Known Before Carnival Triumph Sailed; Christopher Sherman; December 19, 2013; http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2013/12/19/carnival-cruise-fire-lawsuit/4122947/
• CNN/ CNN Exclusive: Documents Show Carnival Knew of Fire Danger Before Ill-Fated Cruise; Drew Griffin and Scott Bronstein, December 18, 2013; http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/17/travel/carnival-cruise-triumph-problems/