PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – A new Victory Casino Cruises lawsuit filed in federal court alleges the company owes nearly $800,000 to a South Carolina shipyard, adding to questions about whether the Port Canaveral cruise line will ever return to service.
UPDATE: Victory Casino Cruises confirmed Thursday that the Victory I has been arrested through a civil admiralty proceeding and said the company is trying to resolve what it called a contractual dispute with the shipyard.
“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 in a statement.
Victory said its goal is to return to business and recall its employees, but it still has no confirmed return date. The statement did not address a tip provided to The Space Coast Rocket claiming an affiliated company may be preparing for bankruptcy. No bankruptcy petition involving Victory Casino Cruises, Tynda Holdings or Sophlex Enterprises was located in publicly available records reviewed Thursday.
Detyens Shipyards Inc. filed the admiralty lawsuit October 15 against the M/V Victory I and Sophlex Enterprises Inc., which the complaint identifies as doing business as Victory Casino Cruises.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina under case number 2:26-cv-04893-DCN.
It comes approximately three weeks after The Space Coast Rocket reported that Victory had furloughed its entire workforce because of the ship’s extended stay in dry dock.
The shutdown was subsequently reported by Florida Today, TheStreet, Casino.org and several national travel and gaming publications. Victory still has not announced when the ship will return to Port Canaveral.
Shipyard Alleges $790,666 Remains Unpaid
According to the five-page verified complaint, Detyens began providing layberthing, storage, repairs and other services to the Victory I around September 7.
The shipyard places the total value of those services at $940,666. It alleges that $790,666 remains unpaid and that additional costs continue to accrue while the ship remains at the facility.
Detyens is asserting claims for enforcement of a maritime lien, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
The complaint alleges that Sophlex contracted with Detyens for the work and failed to provide full payment despite repeated requests from the shipyard.
Those claims are allegations. No judge has ruled that the defendants owe the money, and no final judgment has been entered.
The complaint was provided to The Space Coast Rocket by a former Victory employee who asked not to be identified.
Victory Confirms Victory I Has Been Arrested
Detyens asked the court to authorize the arrest of the Victory I under federal admiralty law.
Unlike a criminal arrest, a maritime arrest is a civil process directed at the vessel itself. It allows a party claiming a maritime lien to bring the ship under the court’s control while the financial dispute is litigated.
According to the current federal court-feed summary, the court entered an order October 19 authorizing the warrant and another order appointing a substitute custodian. The clerk then issued the warrant for the Victory I.
Victory Casino Cruises confirmed October 29 that the ship has been arrested through a civil proceeding in admiralty court.
“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.
The arrest places the vessel under the court’s control while the financial dispute is litigated. The vessel could remain in custody until it is released through an approved bond or other security, a settlement, payment or a subsequent court order.
The public court feed did not show a response from the defendants, a payment, a dismissal or an order releasing the ship as of Thursday.
Casino Equipment Could Be Included in a Judicial Sale
Detyens is seeking a judgment of at least $790,666, along with interest, attorney fees, litigation expenses and costs associated with caring for the vessel while it is in custody.
The shipyard is also asking the court to include the Victory I’s slot machines, gaming equipment and other casino machines in any eventual judicial sale.
The complaint argues that the gaming equipment is integral to the vessel’s commercial purpose and should be considered part of the ship for purposes of the maritime lien.
A judicial sale is not automatic. It would require additional court proceedings if the claim remains unresolved and the vessel is not released through payment, settlement or an approved financial guarantee.
Victory I Remains at Charleston Shipyard
Commercial vessel-tracking data showed the Victory I still moored at Detyens Shipyard in North Charleston on October 29.
Victory’s official dry-dock page continues to tell customers that the company is presently in dry dock and to check its website and Facebook page for an official return date.
No return date is listed.
The vessel’s continuing presence in Charleston, combined with the lawsuit and arrest warrant, adds another obstacle to any near-term resumption of casino cruises from Port Canaveral.
Entire Victory Workforce Was Furloughed
The Space Coast Rocket reported September 28 that Victory had furloughed all of its employees as the dry dock period continued without a firm return date.
Pete Lynch, a 15-year Victory employee who handled events, entertainment bookings, marketing and social media, publicly confirmed that he was among the employees affected.
“Last week, due to the extension of the ship’s dry dock, Victory was forced to furlough all of its employees, myself included,” Lynch wrote at the time.
In its October 29 statement, Victory said furloughing employees was “the hardest part” and that it is working with the goal of bringing them back.
Victory told customers that additional required work had extended the ship’s time out of service. The company stopped accepting reservations and said paid bookings and deposits would be refunded.
The Victory I had previously operated two five-hour gambling cruises per day, Tuesday through Sunday, from Port Canaveral. The ship carries more than 600 slot machines along with blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, bingo and sportsbook betting.
The company has operated from Port Canaveral since 2011 and says it has carried more than 3 million passengers.
Corporate Records Raise an Ownership Question
The shipyard complaint names Sophlex Enterprises Inc. as the corporate defendant and alleges that Sophlex was the vessel’s owner, disponent owner, owner pro hac vice or charterer.
Florida corporate records list Timothy D. Levensaler as a director of Sophlex. Levensaler has been publicly identified as Victory Casino Cruises’ captain and chief executive.
However, other public records associate the Victory I and the Victory Casino Cruises business with a separate company, Tynda Holdings LLC.
A U.S. Coast Guard financial-responsibility record associates the Victory I with Tynda Holdings. Florida corporate records list Tynda’s principal address as Victory Casino Cruises’ terminal address at 180 Christopher Columbus Drive in Cape Canaveral.
Tynda Holdings is not named as a defendant in the Detyens lawsuit.
The five-page complaint alleges that Sophlex contracted for the shipyard work, but it does not fully explain the relationship among Sophlex, Tynda Holdings and the vessel. The federal docket lists customer invoices and a repair contract as exhibits, but those exhibits were not included in the copy of the complaint reviewed by The Space Coast Rocket.
Questions Remain About Whether Victory Will Return
In its October 29 statement, Victory said it remains focused on resolving the dispute and returning to business. It did not provide a timetable for recalling its furloughed employees or resuming cruises.
The new lawsuit does not by itself establish that Victory Casino Cruises is permanently closing. It does, however, document a significant financial dispute involving the company’s only operating vessel.
For the Victory I to return to Port Canaveral, the company would need to finish the required repairs, resolve or defend the shipyard’s financial claim, secure the vessel’s release from arrest and prepare it to resume passenger operations.
For now, the ship remains at Detyens, the workforce remains furloughed and Victory’s future at Port Canaveral remains unresolved.
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