MSC World Europa breaks down off Ponza, with 8,500 people on board
Maltese-flagged MSC World Europa cruise ship, sailing from Genoa to Naples with more than 8,500 people on board, experienced electrical problem with its engines to the Coast Guard's National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, Agenzia Nova reports.
The incident occurred 7:25 am this morning. There were 8,585 people on board the cruise ship, including 6, 496 passengers and 2,089 crew members. At the time of reporting the incident, the cruise ship was eight nautical miles southwest of the island of Ponza.
The situation on board is calm and under control: weather conditions are favorable, and essential passenger services continue to be provided by the onboard generators, the Coast Guard says.
Two tugboats have already departed – from the ports of Gioia Tauro and Naples, respectively – to assist the cruise ship and then safely bring it to the port of Naples.
Specialized technicians from the company also rushed to the vessel to inspect the cruise ship to resolve the problem.
As a precaution, the Ponza Coast Guard patrol boat CP 308 and the Naples Coast Guard patrol boat CP 280 have been dispatched to the area, and an AW 139-Nemo Coast Guard helicopter is also scheduled to perform an overflight. The Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Center in Civitavecchia is constantly monitoring the situation through its maritime traffic monitoring systems, staying in direct contact with the ship and the owner.
Earlier it was reported that Greece introduced fee for cruise ships visiting its ports to increase the country’s tourism revenues.
