A fire has broken out on board an MSC Cruises ship docked off the coast of Corfu but the line has confirmed there were no injuries on board.
Smoke was seen billowing from MSC Lirica from the Greek island at around 3:30pm on Friday, March 12. It has been docked at the port since January 30.
MSC confirmed 51 crew members were on board at the time and said the fire is believed to have broken out in one of the empty lifeboats – but the exact cause has not been confirmed.
A spokesperson said: “A fire on board MSC Lirica, which seems to have originated in an empty lifeboat on deck 6, was reported to the emergency services earlier today in Corfu where the ship is currently in warm layup.
Photos of MSC Lirica, of the italian cruise line #MSCCruises, on fire in the port of Corfu in Greece. pic.twitter.com/d9iluw69ch
— Cruise Ships Passion (@shipspassion) March 12, 2021
“No injuries were reported among the 51 crew who were on board the ship at the time of the incident.”
The spokesperson confirmed the incident was declared ‘completed’ just before 7pm local time.
“From a preliminary assessment, there was no damage to the inside of the ship but only to her side due to the flames and the dense black smoke caused by the fiberglass lifeboats,” they added.
A full investigation is now in progress.
MSC Lirica, a 2,548-passenger ship, usually sails in the Mediterranean as well as to South Africa and Brazil and was scheduled to resume sailing this summer.