The first of two tugboats have reached an adrift cruise ship operated by Carnival , the company said in an update on its website. The ship has been floating adrift in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine fire that occurred Sunday morning. Although the fire was extinguished, it left the vessel without propulsion.

The company plans to tug the ship to Mobile, Ala. That port is equidistant to Progreso, Mexico, the location where Carnival originally planned to take the vessel. Strong winds have since moved the stricken ship closer to Mobile.

Carnival said it has maintained constant contact with the vessel's officers and that all passengers are safe. Every passenger will be given a full refund, transportation expenses, and credit for a future cruise.

The planned cruise was to last four days. It sailed from the port of Galveston, Texas, last Thursday.

source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/02/12/first-tugboat-reaches-adrift-carnival-ship.aspx

The recovery of a grounded minesweeper off the coast of the Philippines is beginning to take shape as a Military Sealift Command salvage ship and a Malaysian tug are within days of reaching the USS Guardian, Navy officials said Wednesday.
The USNS Salvor is scheduled to arrive Thursday and the tug Vos Apollo is en route, Task Force Unit Guardian spokesman Lt. Cmdr. James Stockman wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes from Manila. Navy officials have not yet finalized their recovery plan, and there is no timetable for removal amid reports the ship has begun to take on water. The 255-foot Salvor dislodged the 567-foot guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal in 2009 after it ran aground on a shoal off Honolulu.
The Guardian’s crew of 79 was removed Friday as a safety precaution. Some of those sailors will soon be headed back to their homeport of Sasebo Naval Base as Navy officials continue their investigation into the grounding, said the Guardian’s ombudsman, Kimberlyn Barr.

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A Shell oil-drilling ship that ran aground near a remote Alaska island has been refloated, officials said early Monday.
Royal Dutch Shell's Kulluk was floated from the rocks late Sunday night and teams were assessing its condition, the unified command in charge of the effort said. Once they are satisfied that the vessel is seaworthy, it will be towed 30 miles to shelter in Kodiak Island's Kiliuda Bay.
The oil-drilling vessel, which has no engines of its own, was being towed for maintenance when it ran aground during a powerful storm on New Year's Eve.

Officials said that so far there is no sign the hull of the Kulluk has been breached or that oil has spilled from the vessel. It is carrying more than 140,000 gallons of diesel, and about 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid.

The main tow line was attached from a towing vessel earlier in the day in preparation for the refloating when ocean conditions were favorable. The unified command said three additional tugs are on standby along with the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley and two oil-spill-response vessels.

"Following this initial step forward, we will continue to remain cautious while we assess the Kulluk's condition," said Martin Padilla, commander of the refloating effort. "We will not move forward to the next phase until we are confident that we can safely transport the vessel."

The Kulluk is a circular barge 266 feet in diameter with a funnel-shaped, reinforced steel hull that allows it to operate in ice. One of two Shell ships that drilled last year in the Arctic Ocean, it has a 160-foot derrick rising from its center and no propulsion system of its own.

The tow attempt is being made by the same vessel that lost the Kulluk last month while attempting to move it to Seattle. A line between the 360-foot anchor handler, the Aiviq, and the Kulluk broke Dec. 27. Four reattached lines between the Aiviq or other vessels also broke in stormy weather and went aground.

Shell has reported superficial damage above the deck and seawater within that entered through open hatches. Water has knocked out regular and emergency generators, but portable generators were put on board late last week.

Source: Wall Street Journal