Disabled Cruise Ship Limping Towards Mobile, Alabama
By: NBC News
Updated: February 13, 2013
The disabled Carnival Cruise liner Triumph continues to slowly creep toward the Alabama coast.
Tug boats are pulling the 900 foot, 100,000 ton ship to shore after an engine room fire Sunday stranded more than 4,000 people on board.
Food was delivered from another Carnival ship Tuesday, but there's still not enough.
There's no air conditioning, little running water and less than two dozen working toilets.
Donna Gutzman talked about that problem during a phone call from her cabin.
"The worst part is the bathrooms, there's no water," Gutzman said. "You can't really flush so everyone's going in little plastic baggies and putting it outside their rooms."
Passengers say the stench is inescapable and overwhelming.
"We are obviously very, very sorry about what is taking place," says Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill. "There is no question that conditions on board the ship are very challenging."
Sheila and Jerry Cox described that challenge during a phone call to their daughter.
"There are people sleeping in the hallways on mattresses," she says. "They're sleeping on the deck, on lounge chairs, and the boat is just rocking back and forth because there's no stabilization."
There are new questions now about whether Triumph should have been at sea.
The ship was delayed before a cruise in late January because of a propulsion problem, but Carnival says that issue is in no way related to the fire that shutdown engines during this troubled voyage.
With no further problems triumph should dock Thursday afternoon.
Medical personnel from the city will be on hand for any passengers who may need care when they come off the ship.
