11-night Caribbean cruise abruptly canceled after Coast Guard detains ship
MSC Cruises abruptly canceled an 11-night Caribbean voyage after the U.S. Coast Guard detained its MSC Poesia ship in Miami due to system deficiencies.
The Coast Guard announced on Nov. 3 that MSC Poesia had been detained due to deficiencies with systems aboard the ship. The vessel was scheduled to depart Miami on Nov. 1 for an 11-night Caribbean itinerary with stops in Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize before returning on Nov. 12.
The MSC Poesia will remain detained at the Miami port until the deficiencies are fixed and the ship is cleared to depart, according to the Coast Guard. More than 2,000 passengers were aboard when the ship was detained, according to the blog 'Cruise Critic.'
Detention Reasons
The Coast Guard's Port State Control program inspects foreign-flagged commercial vessels calling at U.S. ports to ensure they meet applicable safety, security and environmental standards. When substantial noncompliance is identified, the Coast Guard may detain a vessel until deficiencies are corrected.
The Coast Guard cannot currently comment on the specifics of an ongoing Port State Control Examination, but we have identified deficiencies with systems on board the vessel that we are addressing with MSC.
Passenger Impact
MSC Cruises issued a statement confirming the cancellation. 'We have made the difficult decision to cancel the current sailing,' an MSC Cruises spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 'We recognize how disappointing and frustrating this news is for our guests, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption to their holiday.'
The spokesperson added that guests would receive a full refund of their cruise fare and the company was providing support to assist with their journey home. However, many passengers face additional costs for airfare, accommodations and lost paid time off from work.
One Reddit user who had been aboard since September 28 shared their experience: 'During dinner, we noticed we had not left the harbor at the given time.' Despite the disappointment, they appreciated the compensation and practical help offered by MSC.
Legal Implications
Alex Perez, a maritime attorney at the Miami law firm Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, told Fox News Digital it's very rare for a cruise ship carrying thousands of people to be detained rather than cited. 'The fact that this cruise ship was detained with passengers on board when it was about to embark on its voyage tells you the Coast Guard found something significant enough to warrant a detention,' he said.
Perez explained that cruise passengers can file claims, but no class-action lawsuits are permitted. 'Cruise ship contracts prohibit class actions,' he said. 'So in a case like this... they cannot do class actions to group themselves together and make it easier for the passenger to get relief.' The binding passenger ticket contract issued by all major cruise lines explicitly prohibits class-action lawsuits.
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