Costa Serena accidents and incidents

25 December 2023Boat Rescue

On December 25, 2023, while in the eastern Arabian Sea (Indian waters, en route from Mumbai to Cochin), the ship rescued five fishermen stranded at sea.

At ~12:30 PM local time (~ 7 AM UTC), the Navigation Bridge officers received a phone call from two passengers onboard, who noticed from their stateroom’s balcony people in lifejackets, approx 1 m/2 km away. The Indian Coast Guard/ICG was immediately notified.

The ship, mastered by Captain Andrea Bardi, reduced speed and changed course to start a search and rescue operation. After several hours, an ICG vessel reached the area and took over the operation, following the GPS coordinates provided by the Captain.

The stranded fishermen were safely recovered by the ICG and were reportedly in good health.

The incident occurred at the beginning of the 5-day "India Cruise from Mumbai" (itinerary Dec 24-29, roundtrip from Mumbai) visiting Cochin (Dec 26) and Bangaram Island/Lakshadweep (Dec 27).

11 March 2017Other Incidents

In the afternoon on March 11, 2017, the Asia-deployed (homeported in Shanghai China) Costa Serena docked at Port Jeju (South Korea) as scheduled. However, all passengers (over 3400) refused to disembark, while at Jeju Cruise Terminal, customs officers, tour guides and around 80 buses were waiting for them.

19 November 2016Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On November 19, 2016, a 26-years-old male crew was reported missing (presumably overboard). The man (Savio Rasquinha, of Indian origin) worked on the ship as cabin steward since September 12, 2016. He disappeared at sea, while the ship was en-route from China to Japan, and near Nagasaki.

15 July 2014Ship Collision / Allision

On July 15, 2014, the cruise vessel collided with the water tanker Stella Di Lipari (1500 GT tons). The collision incident occurred in call port Naples Italy and caused minor hull damage to the Costa ship. The small tanker ship, however, sustained a serious tear in its superstructure (~10 x 3 ft / 3 x 1 m, near Navigation Bridge starboard). No injuries were reported. The cruise ship continued to the itinerary’s next call port Palma de Mallorca (arriving on July 17).

17 January 2013Crew / Passenger Deaths

On January 17, 2013, a  47-year-old male crew died on the ship after falling into the ventilation shaft of one of the diesel engines. The man (of Indonesian origin) worked on the ship as a mechanic and was doing maintenance works.

He was reported missing by co-workers. When the chief engineer searched the engine room, he found the body lifeless in the vertical shaft. The accident occurred on a South American cruise, while the vessel was off Argentina’s coast and en-route from Buenos Aires to Angra Ries (Brazil).

27 February 2010Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On February 27, 2010, a 34-year-old male passenger fell overboard. The man (of French origin) was reported missing by his father. The accident occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, while the ship was en-route from Tenerife Canaries to Malaga Spain.

The cruise ship and Spanish Coast Guard vessels conducted a search and rescue operation for ~7 hours but didn’t find the body. The incident caused itinerary change – call ports Funchal Madeira and Cadiz Spain were dropped.

2009Other Incidents

In 2009, the cruise vessel and its crew were featured in the NatGeo’s 6-episode series titled “Cruise Ship Diaries”.

19 May 2007Other Incidents

On May 19, 2007, the vessel was christened at Port Marseille France, with a grandiose fireworks show. Simultaneously, Costa Crociere held a virtual inauguration ceremony in the Second Life. This is the Linden Lab’s online virtual world, where the users (“residents”) via avatars (virtual selves) interact with each other, use objects or visit virtual places – like new Costa cruise ships.