In the early hours of Monday, May 12th, MSC Orchestra, navigating from Ibiza (Spain) to Sardinia on a scheduled Western Mediterranean itinerary, identified a small motorboat drifting near the southwestern coast of Sant'Antioco (Sardinia Island, Italy).
The sighting occurred at approximately 02:00 a.m. local time, as the ship was en route to her next port of call in Cagliari.
Upon detection, the Navigation Bridge crew initiated standard maritime safety protocols to assess the situation. The occupants of the motorboat—sixteen individuals, including three minors and one woman, all of Algerian nationality—were found to be in stable condition and posed no security threat. Following the assessment, the individuals were safely brought aboard.
MSC Orchestra proceeded to Port Cagliari, where the rescued individuals were transferred to local authorities. Subsequent medical evaluations confirmed that all were in good health. The group was then relocated to the First Reception Center in Monastir for identification and standard immigration processing.
The ship continued her voyage across the Western Mediterranean following the completion of the rescue operation.
For more MSC Orchestra incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.