Earlier this afternoon a fire broke out on board MSC Lirica. Heavy black smoke and flames were visible on the starboard side of the ship which is docked in Corfu, Greece. According to some reports the fire broke out in two lifeboats. A number of fire fighting boats is on the scene.
In a statement the cruise line confirmed that at 15:42 local time in Corfu MSC Lirica reported a fire incident into the MSC Maritime Support Centre in London, UK. The fire, which originated from one the ship’s fiberglass lifeboats on deck 6 starboard side, was brought under control thanks to the intervention of the ship’s two fire brigades and the support of local emergency services.
MSC Lirica is currently in warm layup in Greece. No injuries were reported among the 51 crew who were on board at the time of the incident which was declared completed by 1:58 local time.
MSC Cruises also said that 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.”
MSC Lirica was built in 2003. Lirica was the first newbuild cruise ship to enter service for MSC Cruises. The 274.9 meters long (MSC Lirica was lengthened in November 2015) and 28.8 meters wide vessel can accommodate 2548 passengers in 992 cabins.
MSC Lirica is an identical twin to the MSC Opera. Her other sisters in the class, MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia are essentially the same, but have a smaller funnel and other modifications, such as the bow windows and inside changes.
All voyages on board MSC Lirica had previously been suspended to 30 April 2021. In December last year MSC Cruises confirmed MSC Lirica will join MSC Musica in South Africa. Lirica will homeport in Cape Town and Musica in Durban between November 2021 and April 2022 to offer 14 different cruise itineraries that range in length from two to 14 nights.