MIAMI (AP) — Norwegian Cruise Line has been charged with grossly negligent operation of a vessel for a 2003 ship explosion in Miami, according to court documents.

Eight sailors died and several others were injured after a boiler exploded on the 1,035-foot ship Norway in May 2003.

The explosion sent debris and a blast of steam through parts of the 43-year-old ship after it docked at the Port of Miami-Dade.

"Charges such as those today are necessary to show that companies operating and managing ships have a duty to take reasonable measures to assure the safety of all onboard — passengers and crew, and that they will be held accountable if they fail to meet that obligation," US Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said in a statement.

It was not clear why authorities waited five years to file the charge.

"The safety and security of our passengers and crew has been and always will be of the utmost importance," Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. said in a statement.

"For the past five years, the company has cooperated fully with government investigation into this matter, and we continue to do so. We are hopeful that resolution of the recent misdemeanour charge will bring this unfortunate incident to a conclusion."

Launched as the France in 1960, the 2,000-passenger ship was towed to Germany after the blast and has been retired from the company's fleet.