MSC Cruises has canceled an 11-night Caribbean sailing of the MSC Poesia after the U.S. Coast Guard detained the ship at PortMiami, finding deficiencies in systems aboard the vessel during an expanded port state control inspection.
The ship was scheduled to depart Miami on Sunday, November 1, on an 11-night Western Caribbean cruise calling at Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize before returning November 12. More than 2,000 people were aboard when the ship was detained, according to Cruise Critic.
The Coast Guard announced on November 3 that the vessel would remain in Miami until the deficiencies were fixed and it was cleared to depart. "The Coast Guard cannot currently comment on the specifics of an ongoing Port State Control Examination, but we have identified deficiencies with systems on board the vessel that we are addressing with MSC," said Capt. Frank Florio, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami.
MSC Cruises told Fox News Digital it had made "the difficult decision to cancel the current sailing" because a regulatory matter arose before departure and could not be resolved in time. "Guests will receive a full refund of their cruise fare, and we are providing support to assist with their journey home," a spokesperson said.
Passengers were allowed to remain aboard the ship until noon on Thursday, November 5, while they arranged alternative transportation, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Maritime attorney Alex Perez told Fox News Digital it is very rare for a cruise ship carrying thousands of people to be detained rather than cited.
The Panama-flagged MSC Poesia, a 92,627-gross-ton vessel built in 2008, was previously cited in an April 2026 Coast Guard inspection over the operational readiness of lifesaving appliances but was not detained at that time. Its next scheduled sailing is due to depart November 12.
