Concordia lawsuit impounds Carnival ship

GALVESTON, Texas, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. marshals impounded the Carnival Triumph cruise ship in Texas as part of a suit by the family of a German woman who died when the Costa Concordia sank.

Authorities released the ship Saturday in time for it leave as scheduled for a five-day cruise, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The lawsuit seeking to impound the Triumph was filed in Galveston, not Miami like other lawsuits, because it was the only way to bring the U.S. division of Carnival into the lawsuit. In order to do so, the lawsuit could only be filed in a federal judicial district where the owner of the company has no agent, the Chronicle reported.

Carnival and Costa Cruises are owned by the same parent company, but operate separately said Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz.

"This evidence needs to be preserved not only because it is essential to proving the ... gross negligence of Carnival PLC, but also goes to its conduct, which is intentional, in that Carnival PLC, operating as Costa Cruises, knew that the MV Costa Concordia was sinking well in advance of notifying passengers to evacuate the ship," the lawsuit said.

Rescue divers are still looking for the bodies of two victims of the Costa Concordia disaster in which the cruise ship struck a rock formation off the island of Giglio, Italy, Jan. 13, killing 32 people of the 4,200 on board.