MSC Divina accidents and incidents

September 2022Other Incidents

Due to Hurricane Ian (September 19th-formed "Category 4" storm in the Caribbean that impacted the USA's Florida Peninsula), MSC canceled Divina's September 29th departure from Florida (Port Canaveral). Two of Florida's homeports (Tampa Bay and JAXPORT/Jacksonville) were completely closed for maritime traffic (Port Canaveral was closed only to incoming ships), forcing cruise lines to reschedule and make itinerary changes.

MSC Divina's canceled 3-day "Caribbean and Bahamas Cruise" (itinerary Sept 29 - Oct 2) was planned as a roundtrip from Port Canaveral/Orlando visiting Nassau and Ocean Cay (MSC's private island). Divina's current voyage was extended as the ship was re-routed to avoid the storm's path and remained at sea until Port Canaveral reopened.

All impacted bookings received a full refund plus 25% in FCC/future cruise credit.

25 October 2019Crew / Passenger Deaths

On October 22, 2019, a 12-year-old male passenger died on the ship after falling ill on the ship en-route from Palermo (Sicily Island) to Cagliari (Sardinia Island). Ship's Medical Center was alerted around midnight (Oct 21). While the med staff reacted promptly, the boy's health status unexpectedly deteriorated and he passed away. All attempts to resuscitate him failed. The kid (from Germany) was cruising with his family.

The incident occurred during 7-day Mediterranean cruise (itinerary Oct 19-26) roundtrip from homeport Genoa (Italy) and visiting Civitavecchia-Rome, Palermo, Cagliari, Palma (Mallorca Island), Valencia, Marseille.

26 September 2019Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(overboard) On September 26, 2019, while the liner was en-route from Mallorca Island to Valencia, at ~6 am, a male passenger was reported overboard. The ship immediately turned around and started a search and rescue operation in complete darkness, but calm sea. At ~6:45 am, the ship launched a rescue boat and the man was found and recovered alive from the sea.

The incident occurred during 7-day Mediterranean cruise (itinerary Sept 22-29) roundtrip from homeport Civitavecchia-Rome and visiting Palermo (Sicily), Cagliari (Sardinia), Palma (Mallorca Island), Valencia, Marseille, and Genoa.

11 April 2019Crew / Passenger Crimes

(sexual) Allegedly, on April 11, 2019, an 18-year-old male passenger (Italian) sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female passenger (British). The teenager was arrested in Valencia but later released without charge as the alleged crime occurred in international waters. According to the victim, she was forced into his cabin and raped at ~5 am (on April 11) while the liner was en-route from Majorca Island to Valencia.

The incident occurred at the beginning of 7-day Mediterranean Cruise (itinerary April 10-17) roundtrip from homeport Palma de Mallorca (Majorca Island) and visiting ports in Spain (Valencia), France (Marseille) and Italy (Genoa, Civitavecchia-Rome, Palermo Sicily, Cagliari Sardinia).

19 March 2019Coast Guard Medevacs

On March 19, 2019, a 52-year-old male passenger was medevaced from the ship approx 160 km (100 mi) southeast of Atlantic City (New Jersey, USA). The man was found unconscious on Pool Deck (midship on Lido Deck 14) while the liner was en-route from New York to Bermuda. For the rescue operation, the USCG dispatched from Air Station Elizabeth City (North Carolina) an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, assisted by an HC-130 Hercules airplane. The man was hoisted onto the helicopter and flown to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (Atlantic City NJ).

The incident occurred during the 21-day eastbound Transatlantic repositioning cruise (itinerary March 14 - April 4) from Miami to Rome-Civitavecchia, with call ports NYC (New York), Kings Wharf (Bermuda), Ponta Delgada (Azores-Portugal), Lisbon (Portugal), Malaga and Valencia (Spain), Marseille (France) and Genoa (Italy).

29 January 2019Drug Smuggling

On January 29, 2019, while the liner was docked in Cozumel (Mexico), local authorities discovered cocaine on the ship (undisclosed quantity). Federal agents found 6 packs with the drug stashed in a public restroom (undisclosed deck location). The report didn't mention any arrests (passengers or crew).

The operation involved officers from SEMAR (Secretaria de Marina / Mexican Navy), Federal Police, Federal Ministerial Police, and Servicio de Administracion Tributaria (Tax Administration).

The incident occurred at the end of 11-day Caribbean cruise (itinerary Jan 20-31) roundtrip from homeport Miami to Bonaire (Kralendijk), Curacao (Willemstad), Aruba (Oranjestad), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Grand Cayman and Mexico (Cozumel).

29 November 2018Crew / Passenger Deaths

(CruiseMapper email from a passenger who asked to stay anonymous) I was on MSC Divina out of Miami from November 29th, 2018 to December 9th, 2018. Before the ship even left port (Miami), during the safety muster drill, a woman collapsed. She received CPR from other passengers until medical help arrived (about 20 minutes). We were then asked to leave the room, but I heard from other passengers that the woman had died.

The ship was delayed leaving port due to the medical emergency and it was announced they were working with local authorities on the emergency. Ambulance and police were seen on the dock in front of the ship. Then, on the morning of disembarkation, there was a medical emergency alert over the PA system. A few hours later I personally overheard 2 ship staff saying there were 2 medical emergencies that morning and one of them had died. Again, ambulance and police were seen lining the dock in front of the ship that morning.

The liner was on 10-day "Caribbean, Cuba And Antilles Cruise" (itinerary Nov 29 - Dec 9) roundtrip from homeport Miami visiting Road Town (Tortola Island, BVI), Basseterre (St Kitts Island), St Johns (Antigua), Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Philipsburg (St Maarten Island).

12 October 2018Other Incidents

On October 12, 2018, the cruise liner starred in the first episode (The Royal We) of "The Romanoffs" - US TV series directed by Matthew Weiner and premiered (Oct 12) on Amazon Video (movies-on-demand Internet service). The TV series is about people who believe to be descendants of the Russian royal family Romanoff.

September 2017Other Incidents

On September 9, 2017, due to hurricane Irma, was canceled cruise itinerary Sept 9-16 (7-day Caribbean and Antilles from Miami to Ocho Rios Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Nassau).

All canceled bookings received full refund plus 25% future MSC cruise discount. All booked shore excursions were fully refunded. The previous itinerary (Sept 2-9, 7-day roundtrip Miami to St Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Nassau) was shortened by 2 days. The early disembarked passengers (on Sept 7) received 2-day refund plus 25% future MSC cruise discount.

22 March 2017Crew / Passenger Deaths

On March 22, 2017, a 67-year-old male passenger died on board. This was the celebrity musician Sib Hashian (drummer for the “Boston” rock band) who died during a live performance on the ship. Hashian was among the guest performers, together with Barry Goudreau and John Elefante.

The accident occurred on the 7-day "Rock and Roll” themed Caribbean cruise (itinerary March 18-25) roundtrip from homeport Miami to St Maarten, Puerto Rico and Nassau Bahamas.

02 January 2017Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On January 2, 2017, a 74-year-old male passenger was reported fell overboard. The man (of French origin) went missing at ~3 am, while the ship was north of Puerto Rico. He was last seen by his wife, going out to their cabin’s balcony “to take some fresh air”.

AIS tracking data didn’t show the cruise ship changing course and participating in the USCG’s search and rescue operation. After more than 35 hours, the USCG suspended the search in the evening of January 4. The man's body was never found.

11 February 2016Crew / Passenger Crimes

On February 11, 2016, a male passenger became aggressive during the ship's “Holy Ship” cruise charter (itinerary Feb 10-13) roundtrip from Miami to Nassau Bahamas. According to passenger testimonials, the man was on drugs. He started to shout and throw lounge chairs from his cabin balcony on Deck 8. Crew members were forced to strap him in a wheelchair. He was offloaded in Nassau.

10 December 2015Coast Guard Medevacs

On December 10, 2015, a passenger medical emergency forced the ship to return back to call port San Juan Puerto Rico, resulting in itinerary change – Great Stirrup Cay Island (7-hour port stop) was replaced with Nassau (4-hour port stop). The incident occurred on 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Dec 5-12) from homeport Miami to Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas USVI), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas).

26 November 2015Structural and Technical Issues

On November 26, 2015, three MSC cruise passengers sustained minor injuries in a freak wave accident. A rogue wave struck the ship's port side at 11:40 pm, while en-route from San Juan Puerto Rico to Nassau Bahamas.

The incident resulted in a porthole cabin damage, Two passengers (of Mexican origin) in that cabin suffered minor abrasions, while a third passenger (of Argentinean origin) in another stateroom injured a finger when closing the veranda door of his cabin.

Passengers from the affected cabin were relocated, as well as those occupying both adjacent staterooms. The ship was on 7-day Caribbean cruise (itinerary Nov 21-28), from homeport Miami FL, also visiting St Thomas USVI.

18 June 2014Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On June 18, 2014, a 20-year-old male passenger jumped overboard while the ship was en-route from Fortaleza to Recife.

The man (Jorge Alberto Lopez Amores, of Mexican origin) was heavily intoxicated when he jumped from Mercurio Deck 15 directly into the sea. The investigation showed he was drinking a lot throughout the whole voyage. The incident’s timing was after Mexico played Brazil to a 0-0 draw, and the next game was in Recife – between Mexico and Croatia.

The accident occurred at ~5 pm, during themed South American cruise itinerary (Natal, Fortaleza, Recife). The cruise vessel was fully chartered for the 2014 FIFA World Cup events (soccer championship in Brazil) by a Mexican travel agency.

According to witnesses, the man bragged to other football fans that he was going to jump, then suddenly put his arms over his chest and plunged into the sea. It took ~15 min for the ship to stop and turn around. The conducted search operation in the area lasted ~1,5 hours but failed to find the body.

08 February 2014Coast Guard Medevacs

On February 8, 2014, the 71-year-old US baseball celebrity Jim Fregosi was medevaced after suffering a stroke on the ship. The incident occurred during a sports-themed Caribbean cruise from homeport Miami Florida.

Jim Fregosi was transported by an ambulance to a local hospital in George Town (Grand Cayman), then airlifted to Miami for advanced medical treatment. The itinerary for this MLB alumni cruise included stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Mexico, and the Bahamas, with scheduled call ports Falmouth, George Town, Cozumel, and Great Stirrup Cay Island.

In January 2013, another US baseball celebrity (Earl Sidney Weaver) died on Celebrity Silhouette after suffering a heart attack.

02 June 2012Other Incidents

On June 2, 2012, the vessel ended its 6-night Inaugural cruise in the Mediterranean (itinerary May 27 to June 2). The one-way itinerary (from Marseille France to Venice Italy) included as call ports Civitavecchia-Rome, Messina Sicily, Valletta Malta, Dubrovnik Croatia,

With its godmother Mrs. Sophia Loren on board, upon entering homeport Venice, the ship was met by citizens protesting that it created significant air pollution and that the engine vibrations and generated wake from the bow are a potential threat for some of the city’s buildings of historical value.

The “big cruise ships in Venice” environmental issue became increasingly politicized after the Costa Concordia sinking (January 2012).