5 troubles on Carnival cruises

As the powerless Costa Allegra cruise ship is towed in an area of the Indian Ocean known for pirate attacks, it stands as another in a string of problems involving Carnival Cruises over the last few years.

The ship is operated by Costa Crociere SpA, which is owned by Florida-based Carnival.

Here's a look at some incidents involving Carnival cruise ships over the last two years.

Costa Concordia, Jan. 13, 2012

The Costa Concordia, a sister ship to the Allegra, hit a reef and capsized off the coast of Italy, killing 25 people and leaving seven missing and presumed dead. Some 4,200 passengers and crew were on board when it capsized. It's believed the ship crashed because of a dangerous manoeuvre performed by the Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, who then left the ship in a lifeboat shortly after the "abandon ship" order was given.

Carnival Magic, Nov. 16, 2011

The Carnival Magic made an unexpected emergency stop at a Mexican port during its inaugural voyage so repairs could be made to its stern thrusters. In order to have enough time to complete the necessary repairs on the 3,690-passenger vessel, the ship’s scheduled visit to Costa Maya and one day at sea were replaced with an overnight call in Progreso, Mexico.

Carnival Fantasy and Carnival Imagination, July 26, 2011

The Carnival Imagination and the Carnival Fantasy collided in the port of Key West, Fla., and both boats sustained cosmetic damage. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, there were no injuries, pollution or structural damage because of the crash. The Carnival Fantasy was on a six-day cruise from Charleston, S.C., and the Carnival Imagination was on a four-day cruise from Miami.

Carnival Splendor, Nov. 8, 2010

A seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Splendor was sidelined just off Punta San Jacinto, Mexico, because a fire broke out in the engine room, knocking out power to both propulsion and hotel systems. The ship had 3,299 guests and 1,167 crewmembers on board. It arrived in San Diego five days later.

Carnival Fascination, June 30, 2010

This 2,052-person vessel lost power because of a technical malfunction and was left adrift in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida for several hours. The Fascination sailed out of Jacksonville and was at the end of a five-day voyage before sputtering without power. Once things were running again, the ship headed to Jacksonville without incident.