Key Aspects:
- MSC World Europa was delayed in Valletta, Malta, for around six hours due to a power outage that impacted the ship’s engines.
- The World-class ship finally set sail around midnight, and is cruising at normal speeds.
- It’s unclear if this technical issue is related to the power outage that temporarily left the ship stranded off the coast of Ponza, Italy, at the end of August.
Just a couple of weeks after MSC World Europa was left adrift by an electrical problem that cut propulsion, the mega-ship has once again suffered a serious engine failure.
The 2022-launched vessel, which was not known to have propulsion or power issues before August, was delayed in Malta, Valletta, for hours on September 10, 2025.
Cruise tracking data indicates that the 6,762-guest vessel was supposed to depart from Malta at 5 p.m. local time, but she didn’t actually set sail until closer to midnight – more than six hours later than initially planned.
Although MSC Cruises has not commented publicly on these events, current passengers have reported that the cause behind the extended delay was due to power issues that were impacting the engine.
“Yes it’s true! We are on it today September 10, 2025 and the power went off which means no water no toilet,” a third passenger confirmed.
“Sure enough the captain came on a little while after that and said they were experiencing a technical problem and we would be delayed leaving the port today,” they continued.
Another guest simply replied “serious engine failure” to a cruise fan who asked what was going on after realizing the ship was still in port.
It’s unclear at this time if the delay (or the need for repairs) will lead to itinerary changes.
The World-class ship is currently operating several 7-night Mediterranean cruises simultaneously, and is next due in Barcelona, Spain, on the morning of September 12.
She is at least seaworthy, as the 215,863-gross ton vessel is currently sailing at normal speeds of 20 knots per hour in the direction of Barcelona.
Per current passengers, the power is currently on (toilets and lights do work!), and it’s business as usual onboard.
Is the Problem Solved?
Thus far, MSC Cruises has not clarified what actually went wrong onboard MSC World Europa.
However, the cruise line would not allow the young vessel to continue sailing if it was not safe to do so.
It would be smarter to remain in port until repairs are complete than to head out to sea with unreliable power and engine functionality.
But given recent events, some guests are concerned that bigger issues are at play that have not been fully resolved.
“This is a bit of a worry. I am going in late October. Hope this [is] not [an] ongoing problem,” one guest reacted to the news.
“Ohhh.You’re much better than us. We were stuck in the middle of the sea. I think this ship needs to be repaired properly,” another recent guest wrote.
Read Also: From Mishaps to Maydays – Cruise Ship Accidents
The passenger who was stuck at sea would have been onboard on Monday, August 25, 2025, when a power outage left the cruise ship floating aimlessly near Ponza, Italy.
The Italian Coast Guard had to deploy tugboats, patrol vessels, and a helicopter to monitor and assist the stranded vessel, which had to rely on backup generators.
More recently, current passengers have also noticed signs of possible electrical trouble over the past few days.
“OMG this is the second time in a few days,” one cruiser exclaimed.
“We just disembarked this morning and while onboard, we noticed the lights were dimming and then going back to normal on 2 separate occasions for sure,” another said.
It’s unclear if these reported issues are all symptoms of a bigger problem, or if these are simply unusual coincidences.
