Coast Guard holds MSC Poesia at PortMiami as 11-night Caribbean cruise waits on a decision

The U.S. Coast Guard is holding MSC Poesia at PortMiami, and more than 3,200 guests have now spent two days aboard a ship that has not left the dock. The ship was due to sail at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, on an 11-night Western Caribbean and Central America cruise. Instead, the Coast Guard's Miami sector detained it for an inspection, CBS News reported.

This is a developing story. On Monday night, the ship's captain told guests that a final decision on the voyage would come by about 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

What the Coast Guard and MSC have said

The Coast Guard has not said publicly what prompted the detention. In a statement quoted by CBS News, it said its teams "are verifying the cruise ship's compliance with international standards and U.S. regulations."

"The Coast Guard is tasked with verifying safe and secure commerce," the statement said. "It is the Captain of the Port's priority to ensure the safety of passengers, crew, the vessel, and the environment."

MSC Cruises confirmed the delay but has shared few details. "The departure of MSC Poesia has been delayed while the U.S. Coast Guard conducts an inspection aboard the ship while it is docked in port," the line said. "We are fully cooperating with authorities as they complete their inspection. As this process is ongoing, we are unable to provide further information at this time."

The company added that it is "keeping guests informed of updates regarding the ship's anticipated departure and appreciate their continued patience and understanding."

TravelPulse described the review as an expanded inspection. With no official reason given, rumors about the cause have spread online. None of them has been confirmed, and we are not repeating them here.

What the captain told guests

Captain Michele Tuvo has been giving updates over the ship's public address system. In a passenger video quoted by Cruise.Blog, he said: "I want to reassure [you] there are no safety concerns related to the delay."

In a later update, he set a deadline. "By 10ish tomorrow morning, we will provide you with a definitive decision on whether we are able to proceed with our sailing," he said. "If we are unable to depart tomorrow, we will unfortunately need to cancel the voyage. In that event, please be assured that MSC Cruises will provide a refund and additional compensation."

Life on board while the ship waits

Guests have been free to go ashore. MSC ran four shuttle trips from the terminal to Bayside Marketplace on Monday, according to Cruise.Blog. The line also postponed Gala Night, one of the dressier evenings on an MSC cruise.

The delay has already cost the sailing one port. Ocho Rios, Jamaica, was set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and that call can no longer happen. As of Monday night, the MSC for Me app showed the ship reaching Cartagena, Colombia, at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Italian outlet Gazzetta del Sud reported that about 50 Italians are among the guests.

The planned itinerary

Here is how the 11-night cruise was scheduled to run, based on the itinerary published before departure.

About the ship

MSC Poesia is a Musica-class ship of 92,627 gross tons. It entered service in April 2008. It carries up to 3,223 guests and more than 1,000 crew.

The ship has just finished MSC's first season in Alaska. It moved to Miami for the winter, where it is sailing a run of 10- and 11-night Caribbean cruises. We covered that program in our story on MSC Poesia's Miami winter season.

What we don't know yet

We don't know why the Coast Guard detained the ship or what it found. We also don't know whether the voyage will go ahead, and if it does, which ports will be dropped. MSC has not published the terms of the refund and extra compensation the captain mentioned. Guests booked on the ship's next Miami sailing should watch for messages from MSC and check the MSC for Me app.

We will update this story when MSC or the Coast Guard shares the decision. For more on the line, see our MSC Cruises page.