The Spanish authorities arrested 10 guests sailing aboard the cruise ship MSC Seaside for attempting to smuggle 54 kilos of cocaine. The smugglers were arrested while disembarking the ship at the port of Valencia last Sunday, following a Transatlantic cruise from Brazil. 

MSC Cruises has revealed the hull design and Inaugural Itineraries of its newest ship MSC Euribia, under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France. The second liquified natural gas-powered (LNG) ship set to join the MSC Cruises fleet in June 2023, will be the most environmentally-advanced vessel to date. 

Due to technical issues, MSC Seaside has made adjustments to the current transatlantic voyage to Europe from Brazil, canceling two ports in the Canary Islands. The cruise ship canceled the arrivals to Santa Cruz de la Palma on March 28 and Santa Cruz de Tenerife on March 30, replacing them with an overnight stay in Las Palmas Gran Canaria.

The crew aboard the cruise ship MSC Orchestra are devastated after the death of one of their colleague. The tragic event reportedly took place yesterday in the crew areas after the crew member sustained severe injury, our source said.

MSC Cruises announced easing of the crew shore leave restrictions across its fleet. Starting March 31, all crew members who are fully vaccinated and not on duty will be allowed to disembark and enjoy the destinations visited by MSC cruise ships. More details will be shared in the coming days about the leave allowed at ports depending of the ship’s deployment region and based on the current local COVID 19 requirements. 

MSC Cruises has announced that the company is now the official Global Partner of Formula 1 for the upcoming 2022 season. The multi-year deal will see the Swiss-based cruise line, bring some of MSC’s most technologically advanced cruise ships port-side during select Grand Prix weekends, enabling guests to complement the high-end experience of F1 and drive global visibility for its brand.

MSC Cruises announced that MSC Grandiosa is switching the Baltic Cruises with the Norwegian Fjords for the 2022 summer season. Instead of looking for alternative ports, MSC Cruises has decided to change the entire route of the MSC Grandiosa. The ship will sail weekly voyages from Kiel to Denmark and then on to Norway, where she will visit Hellesylt, Alesund and Flam.

After two months of voluntary suspension of operations, cruise ships will finally resume sailings in Brazil. Clia Brazil announced on Wednesday the resumption of the cruise season starting on March 5. The rest of the season will feature 19 itineraries and will run through April 18, while the 2022/23 season will officially start in October 2022. Last week, Brazil Ministry of Health released a document allowing cruise ships to resume sailings on March 7.

MSC Cruises has suspended all calls to Saint Petersburg, Russia for this year due to recent developments in the region and related security concerns.

CLIA Brazil (Brazilian Association of Maritime Cruises) has taken the decision to extend the voluntary suspension of operations in the ports of Brazil, now scheduled until March 4, 2022.