Florida casino ship Victory I seized over unpaid $790K shipyard bill
A federal court has ordered the seizure of Victory I after a South Carolina shipyard alleged Victory Casino Cruises failed to pay nearly $800,000 in docking and repair invoices.
Victory Casino Cruises, operator of the lone casino ship sailing from Florida's Port Canaveral, is facing a federal seizure order after a shipyard accused the company of running up nearly $800,000 in unpaid bills, Casino.org reports.
Florida Today first reported that a US federal court issued a seizure warrant for the vessel, Victory I, and its onboard assets following a complaint from Detyens Shipyards of North Charleston, South Carolina.
In its filing with South Carolina's federal district court, Detyens puts the outstanding sum at $790,666, which it says Victory Casino Cruises has failed to pay under an agreement to dock and service Victory I at its yard.
The shipyard says it supplied layberthing, storage, ship repairs and other necessaries totalling $940,666, but has received just $150,000 in payment to date, according to the complaint.
A federal order permitting seizure of the vessel, known as a Warrant of Arrest in Rem, was signed off on 19 October by US District Judge David Norton. Casino.org's review of court records shows the warrant was served aboard the ship by a federal marshal shortly after 10am on 28 October.
The warrant, to be executed by the US Marshals Service, covers the vessel's hull, tackle, fixtures, equipment, engines and other appurtenances, specifically including its slot machines, gaming equipment and other casino machines.
Victory I has sailed from Port Canaveral for more than 16 years, offering twice-daily sailings from Tuesday to Sunday with a casino floor of over 600 slot machines plus live-dealer tables, bingo and sports wagering once the ship cleared into international waters.
Casino.org previously reported on 30 September that Victory Casino Cruises had furloughed its entire staff because of what Captain Tim Levensaler described as an "extended dry dock (maintenance)."
The company has not posted on its social media channels since 24 September, when Captain Tim announced the dry dock, and it has not responded to media inquiries about the seizure warrant.
Victory's website still describes the vessel as "presently in dry dock" and tells customers to "check our website and Facebook page for the official date on our first cruise back."
No reply to the federal complaint has yet come from Victory Casino Cruises, which was served with the summons on 16 October and has 21 days to answer it; failing to do so by 6 November would see a default judgment entered in favour of Detyens Shipyards.
James Hood of the Hood Law Firm, a Charleston-based attorney, is acting for Detyens Shipyards in the case.