Miami-Based Crystal Cruises closes U.S. offices

Miami, Florida – In order to avoid a judge’s order to seize the ships in a legal dispute over fuel bills, Miami-based Crystal Cruises which recently diverted two of its ships to the Bahamas is shutting down.

The company has laid off all 238 of its Miami-based employees as it winds down operations, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Crystal announced in January it was suspending its Ocean and Expedition ships through April 29, 2022, and River cruises were also suspended through the end of May 2022, according to the company website.

According to the Jan. 19 statement, it was an “opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward.” The company also “paused its call center until further notice.”

The suspension news came the same day its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, also announced in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it will “imminently be unable to pay its debts” and would be liquidating the company.

The Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony are now in the hands of a company called V. Ships, a vessel management firm according to an internal Crystal Cruises video distributed via Twitter and cited by Bloomberg.

The company says customers can reach them via email as their call center is paused.