Carnival ship diverted

The Carnival Conquest cruise ship is due to depart Mobile about 4 p.m. Monday.

   Carnival diverted the ship from New Orleans to Mobile on Sunday because the Mississippi River was closed to ship traffic due to a tugboat sinking.

   The ship had been scheduled to unload Sunday in New Orleans and depart the same day with a new load of passengers. Instead, Carnival says it has shortened this week's cruise to six days and is busing passengers from New Orleans to Mobile for departure.

Carnival Cruise Lines officials say a ship is being diverted from the Mississippi River in New Orleans to the Alabama Cruise Terminal after a tugboat sank on Saturday.

Officials say the ship, named The Carnival Conquest, is expected to arrive at the terminal Sunday afternoon as U.S. Coast Guard officials continue investigating the tugboat incident on the river.

It is unclear how many passengers are aboard the ship, and officials say passengers will be driven from Mobile to New Orleans.