MSC Poesia's Collision in Copenhagen

A report about the cruise ship colliding with a tugboat was circulating. A check of the ship's real-time data from last weekend confirms that the ship departed from Copenhagen and continued its voyage. Serious damage, especially to the bow, would make such a journey impossible. It can therefore be assumed that the incident was minor. However, it raises questions as it joins a series of similar past events.

The collision with the tugboat in Copenhagen is not an isolated case. The MSC Poesia has been involved in several accidents during its career. The ship collided with the Costa Classica in Dubrovnik in 2008 and with a pier in Falmouth, Jamaica, in 2012. Also in 2012, the MSC Poesia ran aground on a coral reef in the Bahamas and could only be freed with the help of four tugs. In 2019, there was a minor collision with her sister ship, the MSC Orchestra, in Buenos Aires.

The recent event in Copenhagen fits perfectly into this series of incidents, all of which occurred during challenging harbor maneuvers or in narrow waters. The accumulation of accidents suggests a recurring issue with onboard procedures, known as "Bridge Resource Management" (BRM), which involves the coordination of communication and decision-making on the bridge.

Despite its considerable accident history, MSC Cruises plans to deploy the ship on routes that require the utmost precision. The MSC Poesia is scheduled to sail to Alaska and through the narrow Panama Canal in the future. Both routes are considered extremely demanding because they require navigation in sensitive or geographically challenging environments.

The recent collision in Copenhagen is another signal that should be of concern to experts and insurers. The ship's recurring maneuverability problems in everyday situations could prove even riskier in the more demanding future operational areas. It remains to be seen what measures MSC Cruises will take to ensure safety and strengthen the trust of guests and partners.