In the biggest high-profile incident in the U.S. in recent years, more than 3, 000 passengers aboard the Carnival Splendor were towed to shore in 2010 by a Mexican tugboat after an engine-room fire cut off the ship's electricity.

WSJ: Cruise Operators See Shares Fall, Defend Safety

In 2010, the Carnival's cruise ship Splendor lost power after an engine room fire, leaving it drifting off the Pacific coast of Mexico.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS