msc cruise fire

MSC Cruises ship catches fire while docked in Greek port; no injuries among skeleton crew

MSC Lirica, an MSC Cruises ship, caught fire on Friday in Corfu, Greece, Luca Biondolillo, spokesperson for the cruise line, confirmed to USA TODAY.

"Today at 15:42 (3:42 pm) local time in Corfu where she is currently in warm layup, MSC Lirica reported a fire incident into the MSC Maritime Support Centre in London," MSC said in a statement provided by Biondolillo. 

The fire started in one of the ship's starboard-side fiberglass lifeboats on its sixth deck.

"The fire has since been brought under control thanks to the intervention of the ship’s two fire brigades and the support of the local emergency services," MSC continued, noting that at 18:58 (6:58 pm) local time the incident operation was deemed complete.

There were no injuries among the 51 crew members who were on board to maintain the ship. There were no passengers on board.

"From a preliminary assessment, there was no damage to the inside of the ship but only to her side due to the flames and the dense black smoke caused by the fiberglass lifeboats," MSC said.

According to Marine Traffic , a ship tracking service, the ship was positioned at the port of Corfu and had been there since March 1. 

Facebook user Μαρια Σκουρτη streamed a live video of the ship as it was going up in flames.

In the near hour-long stream, huge black plumes of smoke can be seen billowing from the middle of the ship's starboard, or right, side. Later, a close-up short reveals orange flames and rescue teams arriving on the scene.

MSC Lirica can carry up to 2,548 passengers and 752 crew members when in full operation, according to the cruise line. The ship is 902 feet long and weighs 65,591 tons.

This story was first reported by Cruise Industry News .

This story is developing and will be updated.

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MSC cruise ship catches fire off Greek coast

Msc lirica was due to resume sailing the mediterranean in may.

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A large fire broke out on an MSC  cruise ship docked in Greece on Friday.

The fire started on a fiberglass lifeboat on the MSC Lirica before 3:42 p.m. local time and sent large plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, according to MSC Cruises.

The ship is docked at the port of Corfu for the winter with 51 crew aboard, but no passengers. There were no injuries, according to the cruise line.

Firefighters on vessels try to extinguish a fire on a cruise ship at the port of Corfu, northwestern Greece, on Friday. (Stamatis Katopodis/InTime News via AP)

CRYSTAL CRUISES TO RESUME SAILING IN BAHAMAS IN JULY

The cause wasn't immediately known. A cruise line spokesperson said an investigation is underway.

Photos from the scene showed a portion of the ship’s middle blackened by the fire, while firefighters sprayed the flames from several smaller boats alongside the cruise ship.

A fire broke out on the cruise ship docked in the port of Corfu as the 51 crew members on board were in good health, the coast guard said. (Stamatis Katopodis/InTime News via AP)

It took firefighters about three hours to get the fire under control. Efforts to extinquish the blaze were declared completed at 6:58 p.m. local time, according to the cruise line.

A preliminary assessment showed damage to the side of the ship but not inside, the MSC spokesperson said.

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The 902-foot-long, 65,591-ton ship has 992 staterooms with a capacity of 2,548 passengers plus 752 crew members, according to MSC Cruises. Amenities onboard the ship include a spa, theater, casino and disco.

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The Lirica had been scheduled to resume sailing the Mediterranean in May.

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A massive fire broke out on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Greece on Friday afternoon.

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing out of the MSC Lirica , which has been moored at a Corfu port since January, according to the Greek news site Kathimerini .

Fifty-one crew members were aboard the 2,300 capacity vessel when the fire started, but no one was injured, MSC Cruises told the Post.

The fire started in one of the ship’s fiberglass lifeboats, and a preliminary investigation found the damage was contained to the starboard side of the ship, MSC said.

Footage shows two lifeboats attached to the ship’s starboard side had caught on fire, before firefighting vessels could respond to the inferno.

The cruise industry has been anchored down for months amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Video: Cruise Ship MSC Lirica Catches Fire in Corfu

Eric Haun , Editor

Eric Haun is editor of Marine News. He has covered the commercial maritime and...

March 12, 2021

Screenshot from video below

MSC Cruises said a fire broke out aboard one of its vessels idled in Greece, on Thursday.

The fire was reported at 3:42 p.m. local time aboard the MSC Lirica, currently in warm layup without passengers on the Greek island Corfu, and was put out by the ship’s two fire brigades and local emergency services teams by 6:58 p.m. No injuries were reported among the 51 crew members on board at the time of the incident, the cruise line said.

MSC Cruises said the blaze originated from a starboard-side fiberglass lifeboat on the ship's sixth deck, and a preliminary assessment revealed only exterior damage to the vessel caused by the flames and dense black smoke.

A full investigation is ongoing, the cruise line said.

MSC Lirica has been idled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and AIS ship tracking data shows the ship has been docked at the Port of Corfu since March 1.

The 2003-built vessel was the first newbuild to enter service for MSC Cruises. In 2015 in was lengthened from 251 to 275 meters and 59,058 to 65,591 GT.

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MSC, CLIA Respond to Report of ‘Fire Hazard’ on Delayed Explora I

The parent company of Explora Journeys, as well as industry organization CLIA, were quick to dash water on what they’re calling sensationalistic, overstated reports in the Financial Times about unsafe fire panels being the cause of the delay in delivering Explora I.

In a story published Friday, 07JUL, FT dramatically reported that the delay in delivering MSC’s new luxury small-ship Explora I was as a result of “faulty fire-resistant panels," with the news sending "shockwaves across the shipbuilding industry after it emerged dozens of other ships at sea were also affected.”

According the the FT, the Finnish supplier Paroc lost safety certification on one type of fire panel, forcing it to recall them - including on the Explora I, just a day before it was due to be delivered.

It also reported that nearly 4 dozen other ships were similarly affected - sounding an alarm that implied a global cruise safety crisis.

Cool Your Jets

However, over the weekend, both the parent company of Explora Journeys as well as the Cruise Line Industry Association dampened any inflamed sense of panic.

Only one other affected ship was named - the MSC Euribia.

MSC, in a response to a request for comment by Cruise Week, said: “As soon as the issue with the materials used on EXPLORA I came to light, Explora Journeys, our sister company, took the responsible decision not to take delivery of the ship, even though this meant that the first sailing was cancelled, to ensure that the ship will have the appropriate certifications when she comes into service.”

The cruise line is working with the shipyard to ensure the ship complies with safety standards.

In the case of Euribia - or any unnamed MSC ship that may be affected -  the company pointed out that all ships in its fleet undergo frequent inspection and testing to ensure they meet “stringent” regulations.

With regards to Euribia specifically, it says the shipbuilder, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, “is working with the classification society and maritime industry experts to analyze the situation for MSC Euribia in detail and performing the necessary tests, and we will then develop any necessary action plans if required.”

Industry giant Carnival Corp reportedly told Cruise Radio that they only know of one affected ship and that the fire panels on it “passed all required certifications at the time of installation.”

Furthermore, in contrast to the FT’s claim that “"Replacing all the panels, fitted to both the floors and walls, would require huge work," Cruise Week reports that “the cruise industry's initial response to the news indicates a very manageable situation,” where, even if replacements are required, they can be handled during routine wet docks, certainly not expensive and logistically-challenging drydocks.

Other cruise lines obviously felt so mildly affected they didn’t feel the need to defend the safety of their ships. Instead, they directed media to CLIA, which issued a bland statement that:

"Our cruise line members are confident that the responsible parties are taking all steps to determine and resolve any issues, and they remain vigilant in monitoring of all safety systems to degrees that often exceed that of other industries and maritime requirements."

Sniff Test: Overreaction

Overall, the FT’s report smells of an unusual case of sensationalism for the reputable publication, and the travel trade can reassure any concerned clients of the continued safety of cruising.

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VIDEO: Fire on MSC Cruises' ship MSC Lirica in Greece

A fire broke out aboard one of MSC Cruises ' ships idled in Greece on Thursday, March 11.

The fire was reported at 3:42 p.m. local time aboard MSC Lirica , currently in warm layup without cruise passengers in Port Kerkyra (Corfu Island, Greece) . The fire was put out by 6:58 pm. The operation was conducted by the cruise liner's two fire brigades assisted by land-based Greek emergency response teams.

No injuries have been reported among the ship's 51 skeleton crew.

According to MSC Cruises, the blaze had originated from a starboard-side fiberglass lifeboat on the liner's 6th deck. A preliminary assessment had revealed only exterior damage to the ship caused by the flames and black smoke.

A full investigation of the accident is currently ongoing.

MSC Lirica has been idled because of the ongoing health crisis and has been docked at Corfu's Port Kerkyra since March 1.

For more MSC Lirica accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.

Fire safety fears are delaying the launch of the world's newest luxury cruise liner, report says

• The launch of a luxury cruise ship was delayed by faulty fire panels, the Financial Times reported.
• Sources told the FT that 45 cruise ships globally were affected by the safety fault. 
• That number equals about 15% of the global cruise ship fleet.

The launch of a highly anticipated luxury cruise ship has been delayed by safety concerns, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The Explora I, run by cruise giant MSC, lost a crucial safety certification over faulty fire-resistant panels, per the newspaper, which cited unnamed sources.

Paroc, a Finnish supplier of the panels to the shipbuilder Fincantieri, informed the Italian company that a second type of panel had also lost its certification, the sources told the FT.

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The 813ft Explora 1 is the first for MSC's luxury Explora Journeys division that will operate four ships.

Prices for Explora Journeys range from $2,000 to $20,000 per person for cruises of up to 35 nights. The Explora 1 was due to be launched this spring.

In addition to reportedly delaying the Explora 1's launch, sources told the FT that Paroc had identified 45 other ships carrying the faulty panels. The outlet identified Royal Caribbean International as another customer of Paroc.

According to data compiled by Cruise Market Watch , about 320 cruise ships are operating globally.

That would indicate about 15% of the world's operating cruise ships could be at risk of disruption if the panels needed to be replaced.

Cruise travel this year is expected to be just above 2019 levels, according to the Cruise Line International Agency, indicating a return to pre-pandemic demand. 

According to economic forecaster Oxford Economics , cruise operating capacity is expected to exceed its 2019 level by 16% in 2024. 

MSC and Fincantieri didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

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Cruise ship catches fire in Greece, sending plumes of black smoke into air

Smoke billows from cruise ship fire in greece.

Video posted on social media captured the moment a fire broke out on a cruise ship in Greece on Friday, sending plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. 

ATHENS, Greece - Video posted on social media captured the moment a fire broke out on a cruise ship in Greece on Friday, sending plumes of black smoke billowing into the air. 

Spiros Thimis posted a video of the incident on Facebook that shows a massive smoke cloud rising from the ship, the MSC Lirica.

The ship was moored at the Corfu Port Authority, located in Kerkyra, Greece.

The fire started on a fiberglass lifeboat before 3:42 p.m. local time. a spokesperson for MSC Cruises told FOX News. The spokesperson added that the cause of the fire is not immediately known and an investigation is currently underway. 

It took firefighters about three hours to get the fire under control. Efforts to extinguish the blaze were declared completed at 6:58 p.m. local time, according to the cruise line.

RELATED:  Florida ports lose millions as Disney, Carnival cruise ships stay docked through spring

A preliminary assessment showed damage to the side of the ship but not inside, the MSC spokesperson said.

The Lirica had been scheduled to sail the Mediterranean, according to the company website .

FOX News contributed to this story. 

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New Cruise Ship Delivered Following Brief Fire-Hazard Delay

Doug Parker

• July 21, 2023

MSC Group marked a milestone on Thursday as it received the first member of its luxury cruise ship brand, Explora Journeys, from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. After being delayed over reportedly faulty fire panels, Explora I was given the green light to sail. With the situation dealt with and the ship having been delivered, that puts the company one step closer to her inaugural sailing. Although originally scheduled for July 17, the first voyage is now expected to depart on August 1.

Why The Ship’s Delivery Was (Slightly) Delayed

Construction of the ship was halted earlier this month, just one day before its scheduled delivery, over a failed inspection of fire safety panels supplied by the manufacturing company Parloc. “As the safety of our guests and crew is of the utmost priority,” the company said in a statement, “we took the immediate and responsible decision not to take delivery, even though this meant that we had to cancel the ship’s first sailing to ensure she can be delivered with the highest safety standards and will have all appropriate certifications in place.”

The ship’s godmother, Zoe Africa Vago — the goddaughter of MSC Cruises’ executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago — was on hand for the occasion, as were representatives from the team responsible for the ship’s construction.

“Today is a historic day, and represents a decisive step in our growth path because it marks the entry of the MSC Group into the luxury travel sector,” said Pierfrancesco. “This segment has strong growth prospects, in which we strongly believe and whose standards we aim to redefine, focusing as always on excellence and luxury.”

The ship features 461 ocean-front suites, six restaurants and three pools, one of which is located indoors. One of the featured dining venues is Anthology, created by Chef Mauro Uliassi, whose Uliassi restaurant — located in Senigallia, Italy — has the rare distinction of having earned three Michelin stars.

Explora I will set sail on her maiden journey from Copenhagen, Denmark on August 1. During this inaugural cruise, the ship will make calls to Lerwick, Shetland Islands, and Kirkwall, Orkney, before continuing on to Reykjavik, Iceland.

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Endangered 44-foot whale likely killed by massive cruise ship, dragged into NYC port: experts

A massive cruise ship likely struck and killed an endangered whale before sailing into the East River Saturday morning — and there’s no telling how long the dead mammal was dragged by the boat before it was discovered, according to marine experts.

The 44-foot adult female Sei whale was found as the MSC Meraviglia docked at the Port of Brooklyn, a spokesperson for MSC cruises confirmed.

The unlucky cetacean was removed from the 19-deck ship and towed to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Tuesday for a necropsy, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez — but emphasized it is too soon to tell whether or not the whale was dead before impact.

Rob DiGiovanni, the founder and chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, however, told The Post it was more than likely that the “interaction with the vessel contributed to her death.”

“It looks like she was eating,” DiGiovanni said, indicating she was a healthy whale with relatively fresh food in her stomach.

The hulking Meraviglia — the same ship that rescued 24 distressed Cuban migrants from a boat off the coast of Florida last year — weighs 171,600 gross tonage and stands 214 feet tall.

When and where the whale was struck remains a mystery, but Sei whales are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline, according to NOAA.

They are one of the largest whale species and are internationally protected, with vessel strikes listed as one of the biggest threats to its dwindling population.

The body was “pretty decomposed,” DiGiovanni revealed, but said that does not help professionals lock down a timeline of its death.

The temperature of the water, especially on the higher side, can accelerate the decomposition process by days.

The tragic event is unfortunately not uncommon, according to DiGiovanni, but it’s nearly impossible to track just how often it occurs because the whales could sink to the bottom of the ocean floor after being struck.

Ship staff or guests also might not even notice a striking, considering just how large cruise vessels stand, making even the world’s largest mammal look like an ant.

Such strikes could contribute to the unusual mortuary event in the New York Bight Apex — the waters from Fire Island to the Manasquan Inlet in New Jersey.

Starting in 2016, humpback, Mackey and North Atlantic Right whale deaths skyrocketed from one to three per year to 12 to 14 per year, DiGiovanni said.

The shocking death surge is a tragic side effect of whales flocking to Big Apple waters in higher numbers per year, creating a Catch-22 situation.

While some stay year-round, the amount of whales enjoying the East River jumps as spring rolls around.

“We start to see increases in whale sightings now, so we urge boaters to use caution in the waters,” DiGiovanni said, encouraging ship captains to consider the “Slow: Children at Play” mentality when taking on the open seas.

NOAA reiterated this sentiment: “Mariners operating along the US East Coast are encouraged to slow their vessel speed, stay alert, and report any sightings of right whales or any dead, injured, or entangled whales.”

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A cruise ship pulled into a New York City harbor with a dead whale on its bow. The cruise line said it notified the authorities, who started an investigation. May 9, 2024

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44-foot whale found dead on bow of cruise ship as it came into New York

Sei whale discovered on bow of cruise ship FILE PHOTO: A sei whale, like the one shown here, was found on the bow of a cruise ship as it docked in New York. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A 44-foot endangered whale was found dead on the bow of a cruise ship as it sailed into New York City on Saturday.

>> Read more trending news

The whale — a female Sei whale — was discovered as MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia docked at the Port of Brooklyn, according to The Associated Press.

“We can confirm with deep regret that on Saturday a whale was discovered on the bow of our ship as the vessel approached the port of New York,” an MSC spokesperson said in a statement.

“We immediately notified the relevant authorities, who are now conducting an examination of the whale,” they added.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of any marine life. We have comprehensive measures in place to help avoid collisions, such as training all our deck officers with the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) and we follow regulations designed to protect whales and other marine life,” the statement continued.

“This includes altering itineraries in certain regions to avoid whales and we will continue to evaluate and update our procedures with our partners and the authorities,” the company said.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Sei whales are endangered. They are typically found in deeper waters far from the coastline, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said on Facebook.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society performed a necropsy on the whale, but has not yet determined if the animal was dead when the ship hit it or whether it was killed by the impact.

The whale was towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society said in a Facebook post that a “necropsy examination (animal autopsy) revealed evidence of tissue trauma along the right shoulder blade region and a right flipper fracture. The whale’s gastrointestinal tract was also full of food.”

“Most of the other organs were sampled as well for toxicology and other life history studies,” the message added. “The tissue and bone samples collected will help biologists determine if the vessel interaction occurred pre or post mortem,”

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These Russian stone carvings date back to 12,000 BC. WHAT??!

With its gracious, broad and tree-lined boulevards, well maintained turn of the 19th to 20th century buildings and a lively riverfront, the city of Khabarovsk is often called the most European city in Asia. Nothing in the tranquil city hints of a history that goes beyond the middle of the 19th century, but a short road trip along the Amur River is enough to unfurl a treasure trove of petroglyphs (prehistoric rock carvings) that are believed to date back to 12,000 BC.   

Khabarovsk's city center

The Khabarovsk Krai, which has about 789,000 square kilometers of territory, is one of the most sparsely populated places on the planet. These vast swathes of emptiness are visible when one drives on the highway that connects Khabarovsk with the industrial city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

The Nanai village of Sikachi-Alyan on the Amur River

75 kilometers north of Khabarovsk and just off the highway and on the right bank of the Amur is the Nanai village of Sikachi-Alyan, where the petroglyphs are located. Residents call the village the ‘home of angry spirits’, thanks to the mystical occurrences that many have claimed to witness there.  

History on the rocks 

The area has about 200 petroglyphs, with a significant number being well preserved. The petroglyphs are easily accessible, as they are near the water’s edge on basalt boulders. 

Petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyan

The best time to visit the area is actually early or late winter (despite the brutal cold), since the overflowing waters of the Amur hide them in the warmer months. Floods and ice floes have also caused considerable damage to many of the petroglyphs. Locals say some of the boulders have been turned upside down. 

The carvings that date from different periods depict hunting scenes, animals, such as elk, horses and mammoths, shamans and shamanic masks and even people sitting in boats.

Russia’s Far East is believed to have been one of the last habitats of mammoths before they became extinct. Among the best-preserved petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyan, there is one engraving that clearly depicts a mammoth, while another shows a mammoth with an unknown creature. There’s also a large depiction of a beast with a tail.   

Svetlana Onenko, a local historian who is also the curator of the indigenous people’s ethnographic museum and cultural center in Sikachi-Alyan, says the very existence of the mammoth depictions proves that the petroglyphs date back to around 12,000 BC. She adds that the ancient dwellers of this area probably also hunted mammoths.  

A Nanai hunter (L); an ancient stone carving showing a mammoth

The older images, dating to the Paleolithic age, were carved out using stone tools. It should be noted that some archaeologists argue that the wild horses depicted in some of the petroglyphs did not exist in the Amur Region even in the Neolithic age.  

The newer carvings, including those of shamans and shamanic masks were used with more modern tools. These images are sacred to the Nanai and other indigenous groups who live in the village with a total population of just 300. Onenko says the members of the indigenous community are descended from the people who carved out the petroglyphs. Some European anthropologists, however, believe that the indigenous people were more recent settlers, who moved to the area around 2,000 years ago from Manchuria.  

An abode of Shamanism  

Neo-Shamanists visit the area from different parts of the world and take part in rituals, which some suspect as being influenced by a cult. Such is the belief in Shamanism in this area that the museum, which has a large number of indigenous artefacts, crafts and ancient Chinese coins, keeps its Shamanic objects in a designated space that is ritually blessed. “Shamanic objects are believed to possess a powerful (and potentially dangerous) energy,” Onenko says. 

A Sikachi-Alyan's shaman

Locals claim to spot mystic occurrences near the so-called Starukha (Eng.: “old lady”) rock formation. According to indigenous legends, human beings did not die at one point of time, but their population grew so large that there wasn’t enough food for everyone. So the earth’s spirits decided that people, like animals, would also have to die.

The Starukha rock formation

The Starukha was apparently the first human being to face death and ended up turning into that big (and apparently haunted) rock. 

First Russian visitor 

While the Nanai and other indigenous groups were aware of the existence of the petroglyphs for centuries, the outside world came to know of them only in 1859, a year after the foundation of the city of Khabarovsk.

This “discovery” was made by Richard Maack, a geographer, naturalist and explorer who set out on an expedition of the Amur and Ussuri valleys. Maack, who was born in the Russian Empire’s Baltic governorate of Livonia, studied natural sciences at the University of St. Petersburg and undertook several expeditions to Siberia and the Russian Far East in the 1850s. 

A portrait of Richard Maack (L); and his drawing of an indigenous people's house

Maack’s main area of interest was botany and six previously unknown plants that he collected by the Amur were named after him. His expedition north of the newly-founded Khabarovsk led him to Sikachi-Alyan, where he spotted the petroglyphs. There are less than a handful of surviving copies of Maack’s book titled, ‘Travel on the Amur river made by order of the Siberian department of the Emperor’s Russian Geographical Society in 1855’, which contains a wealth of information.  

Russian archaeologists, scientists and historians took a great interest in the petroglyphs in the 20th century. In the 1930s, archaeologist Nikolai Kharlamov photographed them in detail. Three decades later, ethnographer and historian Alexei Okladnikov went on several expeditions to the area and wrote about the petroglyphs in detail in two books. His findings suggest that the artwork of Sikachi-Alyan had some resemblance to its counterparts from South East Asia, Polynesia and Australia.  

Alexei Okladnikov (L) inspects the petroglyphs

The petroglyphs of Sikachi-Alyan are now among the most visited sites in Khabarovsk Krai. The Russian federal government was declared the legal owner of the petroglyphs in 2018 and efforts are underway to better preserve them, as well get the rock formations listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. 

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