Costa-Smeralda

On the early morning of Oct 6, the CCS Barcelona was alerted by a doctor on board the 'Costa Smeralda', who requested the medevac of a person on board. The cruise ship was sailing about 50 miles southeast of Barcelona after having left the port enroute to Cagliari. The SAR helicopter Helimer 222 was mobilized, which hoisted the patient and transferred him to Reus, where it arrivedlands around 3 ia.m.

The 'Costa Smeralda', while on a 36-day transit from Genoa to Dubai, had to change its route due to a medical emergency on board on Nov 27, 2024, The ship diverted towards the coast of Ghana on the leg from Santa Cruz on Tenerife to Walvis Bay. For over a day, the cruise ship headed towards the city of Accra at high speed. The medical emergency was transferred ashore in front of the port on the night of Nov 28. The patient was now being cared for in a hospital in Ghana. How exactly this delay was to be made up was currently unclear. If a higher speed is not sufficient, one of the next ports may have to be canceled so that the 'Costa Smeralda' gets back on schedule. The ship was originally scheduled to arrive in Walvis Bay on Dec 2, but this was unlikely to be possible given the remaining distance to get there. A call in Cape Town is scheduled to follow on Dec 4, 2024, and the ship is scheduled to be in Port Elizabeth from Dec 6 to 7.

The Savona Prosecutor's Office has opened a case of manslaughter against unknown persons for the death of Paola Arata, an 68-year-old tourist from Rapallo who died on Nov 14, 2023, on the 'Costa Smeralda' off the coast of Barcelona. The woman's body reached the port of Savona in the morning on board the ship, after which it was transferred to the morgue of the San Paolo hospital. On No 22 the the Prosecutor's Office will entrust the task of carrying out the autopsy to the medical examiner. Meanwhile, on the instructions of the public prosecutor Giovanni Battista Ferro, Polmare investigators boarded the ship and carried out some checks on the hygienic conditions on board the ship and listened, in addition to the medical staff, to some operators. In the evening, the 'Costa Smeralda' set sail for Marseille. Paola Arata embarked on Nov 11 at the port of Savona for a cruise in the Western Mediterranean. When the woman boards the Costa Smeralda, several cases of gastrointestinal virus have already been recorded on the ship. And already the week before, safety measures had been put in place on board due to the virus that was spreading among passengers. En route to Barcelona the woman felt some discomfort due to intestinal problems, as the investigators found. A few hours later, while the ship was already sailing between Barcelona and Palma, the woman's condition worsened. The on-board emergency service with the doctor then intervened in her cabin, but Paola Arata died shortly after.

While manoevering in the port of Savona upon its arrival in the morning of Jan 22, 2021, the 'Costa Smeralda' the ship allided with the Colacem terminal. With its port side it slammed along the elevators and caused damage to the terminal silos plant, to an elevator that was pushed off the tracks as well as to the fixed structures. A lifeboat of the vessel was crushed, torn open and fell into the water. A fender was pushed onto the quayside under the pressure. The Port Authority, the Port Authority and the police attended on the quay. Fortunately there were no injuries. A steering mistake was thought to have contributed to the accident. The ship had sailed from Civitavecchia on Jan 20 and berthed at the terminal of Costa Crociere at 8 a.m. Italian report with photos and video: https://www.lavocedigenova.it/2021/01/22/leggi-notizia/argomenti/cronaca-5/articolo/savona-costa-smeralda-sbaglia-manovra-e-danneggia-gru-e-le-strutture-fisse-foto-e-video.html https://www.ilsecoloxix.it/savona/2021/01/22/news/savona-la-nave-costa-smeralda-urta-la-banchina-e-danneggia-una-gru-durante-l-attracco-una-scialuppa-finisce-in-mare-1.39805997