Following yesterday's incident in Venice involving the MSC Opera, MSC Cruises received permission from the authorities this morning to begin repairs. The damage to the ship is limited to the outermost part of the hull. Welding work is currently underway, but an estimated completion time has not yet been determined.
Furthermore, the investigation into the causes of the incident is taking longer than initially expected, and for this reason, it is unlikely that the ship will depart this afternoon or tomorrow. To this end, MSC Cruises has been working closely with the relevant authorities from the outset and has offered its full cooperation at all times to help clarify the facts and recover all technical data.
In light of the above, MSC Cruises has made the decision to cancel the current cruise until the start of the next itinerary and refund each passenger the full cost of their cruise ticket and any prepaid services.
However, the ship will remain available for all passengers who wish to stay on board while it is in Venice and until the end of their scheduled cruise. All onboard services and entertainment will continue to operate in full. In addition, all passengers will have access to a regular boat shuttle service to and from St. Mark's Square in Venice.
For those passengers who prefer to leave the ship today or at any time and return home, MSC Cruises will provide all necessary transportation assistance and will cover the associated costs.
For passengers scheduled to disembark in Bari on Saturday, June 8, who wish to remain on board, the ship is scheduled to depart Venice on Friday, June 7, and call at Bari on Saturday. From there, MSC Opera will sail as scheduled.
