Carnival Cruise Line is taking legal action against a shipyard over a days-long delay it suffered due to a workers’ strike.
The cruise line filed a €4.5 million claim for damages against the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz, Spain.
The cruise line was forced to shift the Carnival Liberty to a shipyard in Marseille, France, due to the work stoppage, which has resulted in a canceled cruise.
Carnival is also reportedly threatening to reconsider its long-term drydock agreement with the shipyard.
A week-long strike of metal workers had caused disruption across various industries in the Cadiz region.
With work at a standstill, a Carnival executive travelled to Cádiz to negotiate with striking workers who had attempted to “detain” the ship as leverage in their dispute, local news media reported.
Delay Caused Bahamas Cruise Cancelation
Carnival then made the decision to move the ship to France to complete the drydock work.
This delay resulted in the cancellation of a July 6 Bahamas cruise out of New Orleans following a planned transatlantic crossing. That sailing was due to call at Key West, Freeport, and Nassau.
“We were forced to move the vessel to a new shipyard to complete our work because of a labor work stoppage at the prior facility. Regrettably, this situation will delay the ship’s departure from Europe by a few days, impacting its scheduled return to service,” the cruise line wrote in a notice to booked guests.
They will be refunded and offered a 100% future cruise credit, as well as reimbursement for non-refundable travel costs. The issue could have long-lasting implications for the shipyard going forward.
Citing company sources, local media reported that the long-term agreement with the shipyard may be under threat. Carnival has 11 more ships scheduled for drydock work at Navantia shipyard over the next three years.
Apart from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean is also a major customer, with 10 ships undergoing work at the shipyard since 2023.
