Oceania has only five ships in its fleet. The Insignia, Nautica, and Regatta are designed to carry only 684 passengers – while the Marina and Riviera can accommodate up to 1250 passengers.
In December 2014, just weeks after Oceania Cruises was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Lines, a deadly fire broke out on one of its ships. The fire started in the early morning, in the engine room of Oceania’s Insignia cruise ship while it was docketed in Port Castries, St. Lucia. The accident claimed the lives of two independent contractors and an Oceania crew member. Another crew member was injured on Oceania cruise ship and remains hospitalized. This is the third major fire aboard a cruise ship recently-following the disasters on Carnival’s Triumph and Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur.
Fortunately, none of the 656 passengers were injured in the fire. The ship was in the middle of a 10 day cruise that left San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 7th and was scheduled to return to Miami on December 17th. The remainder of the cruise was cancelled and all of the passengers were flown to Miami. Oceania has arranged accommodations in local hotels until transportation to their cities of origin can be arranged.
We are happy to hear that none of the Insignia’s passengers were hurt, but if they had been injured-even though the ship was docketed in another country any claim would have been required to have been filed in Miami’s Federal Court. The venue selection is found in the tiny print contained in Oceania’s passenger ticket. It says:
ANY CLAIM FOR PERSONAL INJURY, SHALL BE LITIGATED, IF AT ALL, BEFORE THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA IN MIAMI, OR AS TO THOSE LAWSUITS OVER WHICH THE FEDERAL COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES LACK SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, BEFORE A COURT LOCATED IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE COURTS OF ANY OTHER COUNTY, STATE OR COUNTRY.
If you have been injured aboard an Oceania cruise ship please contact us for a free initial consultation. Our maritime lawyers are experienced in successfully holding cruise lines like Oceania accountable when their conduct injures passengers and crew members. We work strictly on a contingency basis. That means, unless we are able to obtain money compensation for our clients we do not charge them for our work.
To learn more about our qualifications and experience and how we can assist you-call today: 1-866-597-4529 or email: [email protected]
