On 25 August 2025, the MSC World Europa cruise ship suffered engine propulsion loss due to an electrical issue. When the problem occurred, the ship was navigating southwest of the Italian island of Ponza and headed to Naples.
The technical issue on board the MSC World Europa, MSC Cruises’ first natural gas-fuelled ship, occurred around 7:25 am on Monday, 25 August 2025. After stops in Barcelona (Spain), Marseille (France), and Genoa (Italy), the ship lost its propulsion while on its way to Naples (Italy).
The propulsion loss meant that the ship lost the ability to generate energy to turn its propellers, leaving the captain and crew unable to steer or move the vessel. The MSC World Europa is one of the largest vessels in the world to be fuelled with LNG. It uses GE Power Conversion’s in-board electric propulsion system and was built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Two tugboats and a patrol vessel were deployed by the Italian Coast Guard to assist the ship in case propulsion could not be restored. The MSC World Europa, one of the world’s biggest cruise ships, would be led to Naples, where it was headed as part of a seven-night Mediterranean cruise.
Nave da crociera MSC in avaria a largo di #Ponza Il racconto di una passeggera a bordo della #mscworldeuropa pic.twitter.com/5xXufrelbR
— Fanpage.it (@fanpage) August 25, 2025
No danger
At that moment, 6,496 guests and 2,089 crew members were aboard the ship. According to MSC Cruises, the situation aboard the ship remained calm and under control, as the weather conditions were favourable and communication went well. Moreover, essential services remained accessible as onboard generators provided all necessary electricity. In a statement to USA Today, MSC Cruises explained that passengers or crew were never in danger during the incident.
@ilmessaggero.it Bloccati a largo di Ponza: la nave MSC World Europa, che ha una capienza totale di 9mila persone, è ferma al largo di Ponza dalle prime ore di questa mattina. Dalla società fanno sapere che la nave da crociera «sta attualmente riscontrando un problema tecnico che comporterà un ritardo nell’arrivo al prossimo porto previsto, Napoli. È stata segnalata una perdita di potenza di propulsione». L’imbarcazione era partita domenica pomeriggio da Genova, per proseguire la sua rotta verso Napoli, dove sarebbe dovuta arrivare alle 10:30 di questa mattina. Secondo quanto confermato da MSC, tutti i servizi a bordo restano pienamente operativi e non vi sono problemi legati alla sicurezza. [#IlMessaggero] #crociera #bloccata #ponza ♬ suono originale – Il Messaggero
While it is unclear how long the propulsion loss lasted precisely, the MSC World Europa arrived in Naples around 9 pm. Propulsion of the vessel had then been partly restored, meaning the ship was able to navigate independently.
At the time of arrival, the MSC World Europa was running eight hours behind its initial schedule. However, the original itinerary remained unchanged, and the ship was able to set sail to Messina, Sicily, around 5:00 am on 26 August 2025 after an in-depth technical check upon arrival at Naples. Afterwards, the vessel continued to Valletta in Malta for its next scheduled voyage.
So far, it is unclear whether or not MSC Cruises will provide any financial compensation for the passengers on board.
