MSC Cruises Ship Detained by U.S. Coast Guard, Voyage Canceled
The U.S. Coast Guard has detained the MSC Poesia cruise ship in Miami, leading to the abrupt cancellation of an 11-night Caribbean voyage. The detention, announced on November 3, is due to identified deficiencies with the ship's systems. Captain Frank Florio, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami, stated that the Coast Guard cannot comment on the specifics of the ongoing Port State Control Examination but confirmed that issues are being addressed with MSC. The MSC Poesia was scheduled to depart Miami on November 1 and return on November 12, with planned stops in Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Belize. Over 2,000 passengers were aboard when the ship was detained. An MSC Cruises spokesperson confirmed the cancellation, expressing apologies for the disruption and stating that guests would receive a full refund of their cruise fare and assistance with their journey home. Maritime attorney Alex Perez noted that it is rare for a cruise ship with thousands of passengers to be detained ra...