Six passengers aboard the MSC Divina allegedly broadcast false emergency announcements on the ship’s public-address (PA) system, according to local Italian news. The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time on July 30 while the cruise ship was sailing from Marmaris, Turkey, to Naples, Italy.
The passengers allegedly announced that the captain had lost control of the vessel and that the ship was adrift. The messages were heard in public areas across two passenger decks and prompted several guests to contact the Italian Coast Guard.
The ship’s captain used the PA system to tell passengers that the earlier announcements were false and apologized for the disruption.
When the MSC Divina arrived in Naples, officers from the Naples Border Police and Italian Coast Guard boarded the ship and began an investigation. Officers reportedly traced the announcements to six Italian passengers staying in two cabins.
The group was removed from the ship and referred to judicial authorities on allegations of unauthorized access to a computer system and causing public alarm. Authorities did not immediately clarify whether the passengers were formally arrested or detained.
MSC Cruises confirmed that an unauthorized announcement had been made but disputed reports that the ship’s computer systems had been hacked. The cruise line said no systems were compromised and that the vessel’s safe operation was not affected, unlike when Carnival Corporation suffered a data breach in June, which exposed personal information belonging to nearly six million people.
MSC Cruises said the matter was resolved immediately and that measures had been introduced to prevent similar unauthorized announcements.
Photo Credit: MSC Divina (René Cortin / Wikimedia Commons)