MSC Poesia accidents and incidents

28 December 2023Fire Accident

(CruiseMapper-emailed report from Kyle N)

On the morning of 28 Dec 2023, a small fire broke out on the fourth level (Boccaccio Deck 4) at approximately 00:20. It was extinguished by approximately 00:45. The cause has not yet been announced. The ship was sailing between the port of Marseille and Barcelona.

The accident occurred at the beginning of the 10-day "Mediterranean Cruise" (itinerary Dec 27-Jan 6, roundtrip from Marseille) with call ports Barcelona (Dec 28), Gibraltar (Dec 30), Lisbon (Dec 31), Cadiz-Sevilla (Jan 1), Malaga (Jan 2), Civitavecchia-Rome (Jan 4), and Genoa-Milan (Jan 5).

18 November 2019Other Incidents

On November 18, 2019, the State of Qatar signed with MSC Cruises (shipowner) a 3-week charter agreement for two vessels to be used as floating hotels accommodating fans during "2022 FIFA World Cup" - an international football championship hosted in Qatar in 2022 (between November 20 and December 18).

Qatar's initial charter deal with MSC was for two ships - MSC World Europa (2022-built) and MSC Poesia (2008). Both ships were booked for 3-week berthing at Port Doha, with shuttle bus service connecting the cruise port to Doha Metro. In October 2022, the MSC-Qatar hotel ship charter deal was extended with MSC Opera.

MSC's requirement was for a minimum of 2-night stateroom booking (through MSC Cruises or a travel agency/agent), with prices from US$470 per person/per night.

20 February 2019Ship Collision / Allision

On February 20, 2019, the fleet mates Poesia and Orchestra collided at Port Buenos Aires (Argentina). MSC Poesia was docked for a scheduled port stay (7 am - 1 pm) while MSC Orchestra was maneuvering for berthing after completing a 9-day cruise roundtrip from Buenos Aires.

No injuries or pollution were reported. Both ships sustained only minor hull damages and were cleared to continue their voyages as planned. Reportedly, one of Orchestra's lifeboats (on Deck 7) was slightly damaged, while Poesia's bow had a visible scratch.

The accident occurred during 7-day South America cruise (itinerary Feb 17-24) roundtrip from homeport Santos to Punta del Este (Uruguay), Buenos Aires, and Montevideo (Uruguay).

04 December 2018Structural and Technical Issues

On December 4, 2018, while navigating near Punta Del Este (Uruguay), the liner was hit by a storm with rough seas and strong winds. The ship was heavily rocking side-to-side, resulting in broken furniture and equipment in restaurants, bars, lounges, and staterooms. Due to weather, the itinerary was altered, with the next call ports (Buenos Aires and Montevideo) being canceled.

The accident occurred during 7-day South America cruise (itinerary December 2-9), roundtrip from homeport Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) to Punta del Este (Uruguay, Dec 4), Buenos Aires (Argentina, Dec 5-6 overnight) and Montevideo (Uruguay, Dec 7).

04 May 2014Drug Smuggling

On May 4, 2014, the ship was docked in call port Funchal Madeira Island (Portugal’s autonomous territory). The local police boarded and seized 132 kilos of cocaine, also arresting 3 male passengers (aged 29, 32, 33) and charging them with drug smuggling.

The huge amount of cocaine was stored in their stateroom, in their backpacks and also taped around their bodies. The incident occurred during Transatlantic repositioning cruise from South America to Europe (Buenos Aires to Barcelona), which itinerary included call ports in Argentina, Brazil, Canary Islands, and Spain.

12 January 2012Ship Collision / Allision

(pier collision) On January 12, 2012, upon leaving call port Falmouth Jamaica, the cruise vessel’s stern collided with the pier.

The accident caused serious damage to both the pier and the ship. The concrete docking pier sustained a gash (~15 ft / 5 m long, and 4 in / 10 cm deep). Upon leaving the port, the ship also ran over a stationary buoy, which was destroyed and subsequently sank. No injuries were reported.

Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” (striking another vessel.

09 January 2012Crew / Passenger Injuries and Overboards

(overboard) On January 9, 2012, during the music-themed "Jam Cruise" (itinerary Jan 9-14), an intoxicated male passenger climbed up to a restricted area on Foscolo (Lido) Deck 13 and jumped overboard into the sea. The man was successfully rescued and medevaced (airlifted) to a hospital in Jamaica. The roundtrip itinerary from Fort Lauderdale visited Labadee Haiti and Falmouth Jamaica.

08 January 2012Ship Grounding

On January 8, 2012, the cruise vessel (drought 26 ft / 8 m) ran aground while navigating into shallow waters (16 ft / 5 m), thus destroying a substantial length of a coral reef. The incident occurred at ~7 am, near Freeport (Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas) while navigating towards Port Lucaya.

The ship called for help and was assisted by several tugboats preventing it from causing further damages to the coral reef, as the wind continued to push it into shallower waters.

Although the cruise ship was unable to leave the area until high tide (at ~8 pm), all passengers were disembarked and ferried via its tender boats. The local shore excursions and the scheduled itinerary were not affected. The ship was operating on a “Holy Ship!” (music-themed cruise to the Bahamas from Port Everglades) and continued to the next call port Half Moon Cay Island.

Note: Most ship grounding accidents (when the marine vessel’s hull impacts the seabed) happen at lower cruising speeds since the ships operate in known to be shallow waters. Such incidents usually result in stranding (with or without significant hull damages). However, if the hull is breached, the result would be flooding, which may compromise the vessel’s stability and safety. The well-known example of such a tragic accident is the Costa Concordia sinking after hitting a rock in January 2012.

04 January 2011Crew / Passenger Crimes

On January 4, 2011, the vessel was docked in homeport Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and preparing for departure on a “Jam Fest” (music-themed) cruise to the Western Caribbean. Local authorities (police, Border Protection, DEA, Customs and Immigration officers) boarded and raided the ship searching for contraband goods and illegal drugs. The assisted by sniffing dogs operation resulted in several passenger arrests and a total of 15 seizures (including LSD, psychedelic mushrooms, marijuana, ecstasy, prescription drugs, and paraphernalia).

08 January 2010Other Incidents

On January 8, 2010, the police evacuated ~300 people at Port Everglades cruise terminal 4 (Fort Lauderdale Florida) and closed the terminal.

The incident occurred at ~10:30 am, during disembarkation (from 5-day Bahamas itinerary), after a 25-year-old male passenger was arrested by US Customs officers for carrying a suspicious liquid in his baggage. The disembarkation was delayed as a hazmat technicians team boarded the ship for investigation. The terminal was reopened ~3 hours later.

30 December 2009Crew / Passenger Deaths

On December 30, 2009, a 52–year–old female passenger died ashore, while the ship was docked in call port George Town (Grand Cayman). The accident occurred at ~4 pm, on an MSC Cruises sponsored diving excursion. During the excursion, the woman suddenly felt unwell and lost consciousness. Her husband alerted the tour operator’s staff. She was conveyed ashore after undertaking CPR, then immediately transported by an ambulance to George Town Hospital, where was pronounced dead.

06 June 2008Ship Collision / Allision

On June 6, 2008, two cruise vessels – Poesia and Costa Classica (renamed Costa neoClassica in 2014, now Margaritaville Paradise) - collided in the harbor of port Dubrovnik Croatia (Adriatic Sea, Central Mediterranean).

The accident occurred after the MSC ship's anchor line loosened and the vessel drifted towards the Classica ship. No injuries were reported. The scheduled itineraries of both ships were not affected.