When Was the Last Time a Cruise Ship Crashed?

By Alice Nichols

Cruise ships are luxurious ocean liners that transport thousands of passengers to exotic and exciting destinations. Unfortunately, cruise ships can also be prone to crashes due to a variety of circumstances.

The last time a cruise ship crashed was in October 2019, when the MSC Opera collided with the River Countess tour boat near Venice, Italy. The incident resulted in four minor injuries and considerable damage to both vessels.

The accident occurred when the MSC Opera, a 951-foot long cruise ship carrying over 2,000 passengers and crew members, experienced a mechanical failure in its propulsion system. This caused the vessel to lose control and drift towards the smaller River Countess vessel that was filled with tourists. The impact caused serious damage to both vessels and resulted in four minor injuries among those on board the tour boat.

The incident sparked an investigation by Italian authorities who concluded that mechanical failure was indeed responsible for the crash. The faulty propulsion system had gone undetected due to insufficient safety checks prior to departure from port. Subsequent reviews revealed that similar issues had occurred during other sailings of the MSC Opera but had not been reported properly or addressed adequately.

Since then, stricter regulations have been put in place by many countries governing cruises, requiring more comprehensive safety inspections before any vessel can set sail and regular maintenance checks while at sea. Cruise lines have also increased their safety protocols while sailing near busy ports such as Venice where accidents like this are more likely to occur due to large concentrations of boats operating close together in a very confined area.

Overall, although there is still some risk associated with taking a cruise vacation, these new measures have drastically reduced the chances of an accident occurring and improved passenger safety aboard cruise ships around the world.
Conclusion:

The last time a cruise ship crashed was in October 2019 when the MSC Opera collided with the River Countess tour boat near Venice Italy resulting in four minor injuries and considerable damage to both vessels. In response to this accident, stricter regulations have been put in place regarding safety inspections before departure from port as well as regular maintenance checks while at sea which has drastically improved passenger safety aboard cruise ships around the world.