Oceania Nautica accidents and incidents

27 August 2022Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) In the night on August 27, 2022, while en route from Greece to Turkey (navigating in Turkish waters), the ship reported a missing female passenger who was presumed overboard.

The Turkish authorities were informed and the vessel started a search and rescue operation, circling in the area for hours. The body was recovered. Reportedly, the woman (traveling with her husband) went overboard from her Penthouse Suite's balcony (on Deck 8/starboard). The husband debarked in Istanbul. Police officers boarded the ship and started an investigation.

The incident occurred during the 20-day Holy Land Cruise (itinerary Aug 15 - Sept 4, from Barcelona to Haifa Israel) with call ports in Spain (Port Mahon/Menorca Island), France (Toulon, Saint-Tropez), Monaco (Monte Carlo), Corsica (Bastia), Sardinia (Porto Torres), Italy (Santo Stefano, Salerno, Trapani Sicily), Malta (Valletta), Greece (Mykonos Island), Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir, Bodrum), and Greece (Rhodes Island, Paphos Cyprus).

19 September 2018Structural and Technical Issues

On September 19, 2018, while berthed in Port Greenock (Glasgow, Scotland), due to severe winds the ship broke its mooring lines and detached from the quay. Tugboats were deployed immediately to assist the liner, which was later anchored in the harbour with a pilot onboard. The ship carried 478 passengers and 26 crew. No injuries were reported. All previously disembarked passengers were housed at Greenock Town Hall until conditions were safe enough for the cruise ship to return to the quay. The incident was caused by Storm Ali, with wind speeds up to 90 mph (145 kph).

The incident occurred during 12-day British Isles cruise (itinerary Sept 14-26) roundtrip from Southampton to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Greenock, Belfast, Liverpool, Dublin, Isle of Anglesey, Waterford, Isle of Portland.

30 November 2008Pirates / Terrorist Attacks

(Somali pirates attack) On November 30, 2008, the ship was navigating in the Gulf of Aden, en-route from Safaga Egypt to Salah Oman. The vessel was in the Maritime Safety Protection Area (patrolled by multinational military fleet), when at ~9:30 am it encountered 2 pirate skiffs.

The Captain (Jurica Brajcic, of Serbian origin) ordered the Navigation Bridge officers on duty to take evasive manoeuvres and increase speed. The ship managed to outrun the pirate boats, although it was fired at 8 times. During the incident, Danish Navy vessels were responsible for the area's maritime safety. Reportedly, at Denmark's request, a French Navy helicopter was scrambled to aid the cruise ship.

The ship was on 32-day Suez Canal repositioning cruise from Europe to Asia (Civitavecchia-Rome to Singapore), carrying a total of 656 passengers plus 399 crew. No one was injured in the attack.