The U.S. Coast Guard said
that the Adonia failed several parts of an exam conducted before what was to be the ship’s
first sailing for Carnival Corp.'s new Fathom line on April 10.
Fathom first delayed then
canceled the cruise after the Coast Guard required a series of further tests.
A statement from the
Seventh Coast Guard District office in Miami said the most serious remaining
problem is with numerous sliding fire screen doors that are inoperable.
"The Coast Guard will continue to work with the cruise line to ensure both
vessel and crew meet the standards to protect passenger safety,” the statement
said.
Prior to Fathom, the Adonia
had sailed for Carnival Corp.’s P&O Cruises line in the United Kingdom.
After a drydock, it was brought to Miami for its regular schedule of seven-day
sailings to the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
When ships enter U.S
service, the Coast Guard conducts an Initial Certificate of Compliance exam, which
verifies they comply with Coast Guard regulations. They are retested annually in Control
Verification Examinations.
It is rare for a ship
operated by a major cruise line to be prevented from sailing as a result of one
of the inspections.
In 2001, the Norwegian
Cruise Line ship Norway was held at the Port of Miami for five days while
mechanics fixed numerous leaks in its fire sprinkler system.
In a statement, Fathom
said the Adonia arrived in Miami directly from drydock. It said the
Coast Guard administered "a number of tests that had not been previously
performed on the ship.”
The statement said
Fathom’s official inaugural sailing will depart on April 17 as scheduled. Fathom
had described the now-canceled April 10 sailing as a "soft launch."