A cruise ship owned by Carnival Cruise Line was unable to resume operations as planned due to a shipyard strike, which delayed its dry dock maintenance work for several days. Legal proceedings have been filed against the relevant shipyard.
According to foreign media reports, Carnival Cruise Line has filed a 4.5 million euro (about US$5.27 million) compensation lawsuit against the Spanish Navantia shipyard for the Conquest-class cruise ship “Carnival Liberty” and plans to reconsider the long-term drydock agreement signed with the shipyard.
The Carnival Liberty, with a gross tonnage of 110,400, underwent its last drydock maintenance in October 2021. During this period, its hull was painted in the iconic red, white, and blue color scheme, and other routine repairs were carried out. Although the specifics of this maintenance remain undisclosed, large-scale dry dock overhauls typically involve upgrades to a cruise ship’s hotel and public areas, as well as the addition of new venues.
The cruise ship was scheduled for drydock maintenance at the Navantia shipyard, but the related work was stalled due to a strike by shipyard workers. Subsequently, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to hand it over to a shipyard in Marseille, France for repairs.
The Navantia shipyard shutdown is reportedly related to a week-long strike by metal workers in the Cadiz region of Spain, which has caused chaos in many industries in the region and has greatly disrupted the Navantia shipyard.
A Carnival Cruise Line executive negotiated with striking workers to advance the dry-docking of the Carnival Liberty, as they tried to “detain” the ship as a bargaining chip.
The strike extension resulted in the cancellation of the Carnival Liberty’s Bahamas cruise, which was scheduled to depart New Orleans on July 6. The cruise was originally scheduled to sail on a transatlantic voyage and stop in Key West, Freeport and Nassau.
Passengers were notified of the change two weeks before the scheduled departure. In a change notice to passengers, Carnival Cruise Lines said, “Due to a labor stoppage at the previous shipyard, we were forced to transfer the ship to a new shipyard to complete repair work. Unfortunately, this situation will delay the ship’s departure from Europe by several days, which will affect its scheduled resumption of operations.”
All booked passengers will automatically receive a full refund of the cruise fare, port taxes, and any prepaid ancillaries, including gratuities, internet access, beverage packages, shore excursions, etc. Refunds will be made to the original form of payment.
The strike delays have made Carnival Cruise Lines “very unhappy” with Navantia Shipyard and could have a long-term impact on the shipyard’s future operations. Sources said the long-term agreement between the two parties may be under threat, with 11 cruise ships scheduled to undergo dry docking maintenance over the next three years.
In addition to Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises is also a major customer of Navantia Shipyard, with 10 cruise ships undergoing maintenance work at the shipyard since 2023.