The saga began unfolding early Sunday morning as the Carnival Triumph, originally carrying 3, 143 passengers and 1, 086 crew members, was making its way to Galveston, Texas, when a fire left the vessel listing to the side and drifting in the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Helicopters hovered overhead, possibly delivering more supplies to the 3, 143 passengers and 1, 086 crew members trapped on the ship since the fire Sunday off the coast of Mexico left the vessel listing to the side and drifting in Gulf of Mexico currents.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

They allege the men, who were on board an Italian commercial vessel to guard against Somali pirates, opened fire on the fishing boat.

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The Chinese Defence Ministry, in its statement, said that in each incident, the Chinese vessel "kept normal observation and alert, and fire control radar was not used".

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The men, who were on board an Italian commercial vessel to guard against pirates, are accused of opening fire on the fishing boat.

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But the fire knocked out the ship's propulsion system and left the vessel slowly drifting in the Gulf until a second tug boat arrived Tuesday.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

But the fire knocked out the ship's propulsion system and left the vessel slowly drifting in the Gulf until a second tugboat arrived Tuesday, joining one that had come earlier.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"Really, the safe thing to do was to tow the vessel back into port rather than re-energize the power system that was damaged by fire, " he said.

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On that occasion, oxygen was pumped into the vessel to supplement the crew's air supply but all it did was fuel the flames of a fire which had already started, raising the temperature on board to 1, 000 degrees Celsius.

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