Crystal Cruises ships have reportedly been arrested by authorities in the Bahamas over an unpaid fuel bill

• Two Crystal Cruises ships were arrested in the Bahamas, Cruise Law News reported.
• According to multiple outlets, only crew members were on board at the time of the seizure. 
• A warrant for the arrests was issued over an unpaid fuel bill.

Two Crystal Cruises ships were seized Friday by authorities in the Bahamas over unpaid fuel bills, Cruise Law News first reported. 

Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were arrested in the waters off Freeport, Bahamas after disembarking passengers on the island of Bimini. Only crew members were on board at the time of the seizure. 

In an announcement made to the crew, a recording of which was posted to Twitter, the captain of the Crystal Symphony said the seizure was “unfortunate” but “actually quite expected.”

“The ship has been placed under arrest by the local authorities over some unpaid bills, and as bad as it sounds it’s actually quite a good thing to happen,” the captain says on the recording.

In a statement to Insider, Crystal Cruises said it could not comment on “pending legal matters at this time.”

But it added: “Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony’s voyages ended last month and there are no guests onboard.” 

It added that officers and crew on board were “being well cared for.”

“Crew members have been paid all wages due and we are meeting and exceeding all contractual obligations,” the statement continued.  

Last month, the Crystal Symphony diverted from its scheduled stop in Miami with 700 passengers on board.

The ship was due to return to Miami after a 14-day Caribbean voyage but instead traveled to Bimini because the warrant empowered US Marshals to seize the ship if it entered US waters.

Earlier this month, the Crystal Serenity also diverted to the Bahamas after being denied entry to Aruba. 

The unpaid bill amounted to $1.2 million, according to Bloomberg.

Fuel supplier Peninsula Petroleum Far East secured the warrant against Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises Limited, which is owned by Crystal Cruises operator, Genting Hong Kong Ltd.

In January, Crystal Cruises announced plans to pause voyages through April 2022.

“This was an extremely difficult decision but a prudent one given the current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong,” Jack Anderson, Crystal’s president said in a press release.