Port Canaveral’s casino ship is under federal arrest in South Carolina over a $790,666 shipyard bill

The Victory I, the casino ship that sailed gambling cruises out of Port Canaveral until late September, is sitting in a South Carolina shipyard under a federal warrant of arrest. The shipyard that holds it says it is owed $790,666.

The arrest adds another obstacle to any quick return for Brevard’s casino cruise. The company had already furloughed its workers and stopped taking reservations.

What the shipyard says

Detyens Shipyards Inc. of North Charleston sued Oct. 15 in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (case No. 2:26-cv-04893). The admiralty case is assigned to U.S. District Judge David C. Norton.

The defendants are the ship itself and Sophlex Enterprises Inc., which the complaint identifies as doing business as Victory Casino Cruises. Under maritime law, a creditor claiming a lien can sue a ship directly and ask a court to “arrest” it, a civil process that puts the vessel under the court’s control while the dispute is decided.

In its verified complaint, Detyens says it began providing layberthing — keeping an idle ship tied up at a berth — along with storage, repairs and other services around Sept. 7. It values that work at $940,666, says it has been paid $150,000, and says costs continue to grow. It seeks to enforce a maritime lien and claims breach of contract and unjust enrichment, according to The Space Coast Rocket and RG.org.

Those claims have not been tested in court.

What the company says

Victory Casino Cruises confirmed Thursday that the ship had been arrested in a civil admiralty proceeding, The Space Coast Rocket reported. “We are currently in a contractual dispute with the shipyard and are making every attempt to resolve it as soon as possible,” the company said. It said its goal is to return to business and recall its employees, but it gave no return date.

“The term ‘arrest’ in this context refers to a legal process involving the vessel. It is a civil matter, not a criminal matter,” the company said.

What the warrant covers

Norton authorized the warrant Oct. 19, and a federal marshal served it aboard the ship at Detyens’ yard on the morning of Oct. 28, according to a return of service filed Oct. 29. It covers the ship’s “hull, tackle, fixtures, equipment, engines, furniture, freights, apparel, and appurtenances, including slot machines, gaming equipment, and other casino machines,” Casino.org reported.

The judge appointed a substitute custodian to care for the ship, with fees of $1,000 a day for the first 15 days and $750 a day after that, and required Detyens to carry $1 million in insurance during custody. Detyens has asked that the slot machines and other gaming equipment be included in any eventual court-ordered sale. No sale has been ordered.

Detyens is represented by Charleston attorney James Hood of the Hood Law Firm. Sophlex received the summons Oct. 16, making its response due Nov. 6, Casino.org and CruiseNews reported. As of Oct. 29, the docket showed no filing from the company. 321 Daily has not reviewed the docket directly.

How the ship ended up in Charleston

The Victory I made its last sailing Sept. 28 and then went into dry dock, Florida Today reported. In a Sept. 24 Facebook post, the company said “additional necessary work has extended our time out of service,” and that it would not take reservations until it had confirmed a return date.

The company furloughed its entire workforce. “Last week, due to the extension of the ship’s dry dock, Victory was forced to furlough all of its employees, myself included,” Pete Lynch, a 15-year employee who handled bookings and events, wrote publicly at the time, The Space Coast Rocket reported. CruiseNews reported that the company has since canceled its remaining 2026 sailings and that, under its passenger notice, refunds are promised for bookings and deposits but prepaid dining credits will be forfeited.

What’s at stake at the port

Before the shutdown, the Victory I sailed twice a day, Tuesday through Sunday, on five-hour cruises with more than 600 slot machines and table games, Florida Today reported. The company has sailed from Port Canaveral since 2011, and its berth, Cruise Terminal 2, is 697 feet long, according to the port.

321 Daily found no statement or board agenda item from the Canaveral Port Authority on the arrest.

What happens next

The arrest order entitles the ship’s claimant to a prompt hearing, at which Detyens would have to show why the arrest should not be lifted. The ship can stay in custody until it is released through a bond or other security, a settlement, payment or a later court order. If the debt goes unresolved, further court proceedings could lead to a sale.

Based on published reports describing federal court records. 321 Daily did not seek comment for this story.