2 Runaway Cruise Ships In The Bahamas Have Been Seized & Their Fuel Bills Are Huge

The ultimate getaway experience has officially come to an end.

Two runaway cruise ships have now been seized by the authorities in the Bahamas, ending a weeks-long case involving their massive unpaid fuel bills in the U.S.

The Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were arrested on Friday with only the crew on board, according to Cruise Law News and the Miami Herald.

Both ships belong to Crystal Cruises, which faces legal action in Miami over an alleged $4.6 million in unpaid fuel bills.

Last month, a U.S. judge issued an arrest warrant for the Crystal Symphony over the company's outstanding bill. The ship responded by fleeing to the Bahamas and dropping off some of its passengers in Miami at the last minute.

A week later, the Crystal Serenity cut its trip short and pulled the same move, although it was not wanted on a warrant at the time.

The ships' owner, Crystal Cruises, also announced that it would be suspending its operations through April while it deals with its financial troubles.

"Suspending operations will provide Crystal's management team with an opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward," the company said in a statement.

Most passengers on board the ships were sent back to Miami via ferry. Crystal Cruises also promised to cover their hotel rooms and related flight changes.

The two ships sat in the Bahamas for several days before local authorities seized them.

A clip posted by Crew Center on Twitter captures the seizure announcement on one of the ships.

"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 can be heard saying.

"We've been told that this will not affect any personnel movement. So the crew movement and crew sign-offs can still go as planned, and we are in the process of preparing this. So, some unfortunate news, but this was actually quite expected."

Although the ships have been seized, many employees are still waiting to be paid for being taken along on the ride, Cruise Law News reports.

The industry news outlet says employees were told that if they wanted to leave the ship, they'd have to "resign and buy your own flight ticket to go home."

The two ships had spent several days docked in Bimini, but they were on the move to Freeport in the Bahamas on Monday, according to public tracking sites.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.