''MSC Poesia'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

owned and operated by

MSC Cruises MSC Cruises ( it, MSC Crociere) is an Italian global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva, with operations offices in Naples, Genoa and Venice. It was founded in 1989 in Naples, Italy, as part of the Mediterranean Shipping ...

. She was built in 2008 by the

Aker Yards Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...

shipyard in

St. Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oce ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She is a sister ship to , , and . She is the first ship in the MSC Cruises fleet to be officially named outside Italy, at the

Port of Dover The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover, Kent, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just away, and is one of the world's busiest maritime pa ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

on 5 April 2008, by

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

. ''MSC Poesia'' was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

of the company until she was displaced by , which entered service in December 2008. In 2008 and 2009, ''MSC Poesia'' sailed on a series of 7-night cruises from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. Since 2010 the ship sails in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors ...

during the summer season.

Incidents

On 6 June 2008, ''MSC Poesia'' and collided in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

near

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranea ...

. No one was hurt, the damage was minimal, and both ships continued their scheduled itinerary with no delays. The cause was determined to be the ''MSC Poesia''s anchor loosening. On 22 February 2019, the ship was struck again, by sister ship . ''MSC Orchestra'' had been departing

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina, when a navigational error caused her to crash into ''MSC Poesia''. ''MSC Poesia'' only sustained minor bow damage.

2012 grounding

While heading to Port Lucaya near Freeport, Bahamas, on 7 January 2012, ''MSC Poesia'' ran aground on top of a reef. The grounding did not stop the beach-goers (maiden voyagers of the annual "Holy Ship!" music festival cruise featuring such popular dance music artists as Fatboy Slim, Dillon Francis and Diplo), as tender boats were able to ferry passengers from anchorage (or reefage) to the shores of Port Lucaya. According to Captain Archer, a local captain in the port, "they waited for a tide to get high at 1800hrs she was pulled off with 4 tugs and a fifth standing by. At 2000hrs, she was free and continued on her journey at 19.5 knots to little Salvador. A statement from MSC Cruises was released: "In navigating the harbor off Port Lucaya in the Grand Bahamas, MSC Poesia ran aground at 6:50 a.m. Saturday morning. The ship and its guests were always completely safe and all onboard equipment and services continued to operate normally including all previously scheduled tender service and shore excursions".

References

External links

Official MSC Poesia WebsiteCurrent Position
{{Authority control Poesia Ships built in France 2007 ships