The newly reworked Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship fell under a “No Sail Order” from the U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday, but will be back in business Friday, according to a company statement.
The 53,000-gross-ton, 1,308-passenger ship recently transformed with Jimmy Buffett-theming after operating two-night sailings as the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Classica. It was supposed to sail from the Port of Palm Beach on Wednesday to Grand Bahama Island, but was not allowed to leave the port.
“Cruise ships operating in the U.S. are required under federal law to have a Certificate of Compliance exam every 6 months. During this ship’s annual exam, Port State Control officers identified conditions, which required the ship to stay in port until rectified due to the safety of the crew and passengers. The ship will not sail until the conditions are rectified,” reads a statement from the Coast Guard.
Margaritaville at Sea CEO Oneil Khosa said in an updated statement that he expected this to be just a one-time sailing delay with Friday’s planned sailing still on the schedule. A company statement Friday said the ship will depart as planned at 5 p.m.
“Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was not able to move forward with its planned departure on July 13. During a routine inspection, the United States Coast Guard identified some corrective actions that the cruise line is expeditiously undertaking and managing to ensure the safety of all crew members and guests,” Khosa said. “The cruise line’s shoreside and shipboard teams are working closely with the United States Coast Guard to quickly address the flagged items and continue sailing on schedule. We do not anticipate any additional impact to our planned itineraries. All guests have disembarked from the ship and have received compensation for the inconvenience.”
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line began operating from the Port of Palm Beach in 2016 with its original vessel Bahamas Celebration, since sold and scrapped. Grand Classica began service in 2018.
The ship was built in 1991 at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy and originally sailed for Costa Cruises in Europe as the Costa Classica.
