Barge Inflicts Damage on Carnival Ship

A barge broadsided the Carnival Fantasy on Saturday morning as the ship was returning to its homeport of New Orleans, leaving a 30-foot gash in the hull and causing the cruise line to cancel its next scheduled trip. No one on board was injured, but the ship's hull was damaged near the rear of the port side, about five feet above the water line, the Coast Guard said. The ship returned safely into the Erato Street Cruise Terminal after the accident and its passengers disembarked. Despite all of the ship's services working properly after the incident, Carnival decided to still cancel a five-day cruise to Mexico that was to have left Saturday evening. Carnival says that all travelers will receive a full refund plus a 25 percent discount good toward a future cruise of comparable length. Passengers who flew into New Orleans will be reimbursed up to $200 per person in flight costs. Carnival Fantasy's next cruise is scheduled to depart on Thursday.