Thousands of passengers were left stranded at sea on Monday after MSC World Europa, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, lost propulsion while sailing off the Italian coast.

The massive vessel, weighing 215,863 gross tons and stretching 1,094 feet (333 meters), was carrying 6,496 passengers and 2,089 crew members, 8,585 people in total, when it suffered an electrical failure that cut propulsion.

The incident happened at around 7:25 a.m. local time, about eight nautical miles southwest of the island of Ponza, as the ship was traveling from Genoa to Naples on a Western Mediterranean cruise.

Passengers reported the ship coming to a sudden stop at around 5:30 a.m., before the situation was officially reported to the Italian Coast Guard at 7:30 a.m. In response, the Guardia Costiera dispatched two patrol boats and an AW139 helicopter to assess the scene. Two tugboats, one from Gioia Tauro in southern Italy and another from Naples, were also ordered to support the vessel and prepared to tow it to port if necessary.

Coast Guard officers boarded the ship and said the problem was linked to an electrical fault in the propulsion system. The LNG-fueled vessel, which uses Azipods for propulsion, was still able to run its onboard generators, meaning safety systems, lighting, kitchens, air conditioning, and passenger services continued without interruption.

By early afternoon, MSC Cruises reported that the crew had managed to restore partial propulsion, allowing the ship to move again under its own power. The Coast Guard confirmed the vessel was sailing at around 15 knots with an escort. Instead of arriving in Naples at its scheduled 1 p.m. docking time, the ship reached port at 9 p.m., eight hours late.

The incident disrupted travel plans for many passengers. Some were due to disembark in Naples, while others were waiting to board for the next leg of the cruise. The ship had already visited Messina, Sicily; La Valletta, Malta; Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; and Genoa without any issues before the propulsion failure.

Following its delayed arrival in Naples, passengers began disembarking while technicians carried out a full inspection. MSC Cruises confirmed it plans to repair and inspect the vessel before allowing new guests to embark for the next scheduled seven-night cruise to La Valletta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, and Naples.

MSC World Europa, introduced in 2022, was the first MSC Cruises ship to surpass the 200,000-gross-ton mark and is the largest in the company’s fleet. It is also the third largest class of cruise ships in the world, behind Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class and Oasis-class vessels.

Reference: cruisehive

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