MSC Cruise Ship Bound for Malta Arrives Safely in Naples After Engine Failure
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The flagship of MSC Cruises, the World Europa, arrived safely in Naples late Monday after drifting powerless for nearly 10 hours off the Italian island of Ponza due to an engine failure.
The 333-meter vessel — longer than three football fields and carrying 8,585 people, including 6,496 passengers and 2,089 crew — had departed Genoa on Sunday and was bound for Naples, with Malta among its next scheduled stops, when the breakdown occurred about eight nautical miles from Ponza, the Italian Coast Guard said.
Initial checks pointed to an electrical fault in the ship’s propulsion system. Though without power, onboard generators kept essential services running, authorities said. Passengers remained calm, though some reported water shortages and complained on social media about limited communication from the crew.
The Coast Guard said it was alerted at 7:25 a.m. and dispatched two tugboats from Gioia Tauro and Naples, while a helicopter monitored the situation.
By mid-afternoon, company technicians managed to restart the propulsion system, allowing the ship to sail to Naples under its own power, escorted by Coast Guard patrols. The World Europa docked at 8 p.m.
“Propulsion has been partially repaired,” MSC Cruises said in a statement, adding that a full technical inspection will be carried out in Naples before the ship continues its Mediterranean itinerary, which includes stops in Messina, Malta, Barcelona, and Marseille.
Consumer groups Codici and Codacons said they are weighing possible legal action to seek compensation for affected travelers, including hundreds of passengers who faced delays boarding in Naples.
The World Europa, built in 2022 at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, is among the largest cruise ships in the world. Equipped with five dual-fuel engines capable of running on liquefied natural gas or low-sulfur marine diesel, it was designed to cut nitrogen emissions by 90%. The vessel, which cost an estimated €1 billion, can reach a top speed of 22.7 knots.
