While docked in Ancona, MSC Lirica undertook a comprehensive emergency exercise, subjecting its crew, onboard systems, and coordination with local authorities to a demanding, realistic scenario.
With active involvement from both the Port Authority and the Italian Coast Guard, ship command and crew simulated a fire outbreak in the main galley escalating to a general alarm and culminating in an abandonment of ship procedure. Over four hundred crew members from multiple departments and various nationalities assumed roles as both victims and responders throughout the exercise.
At 03:00 p.m. local time, the drill commenced with a fire alarm activation. The scenario held that the blaze, originating in the galley, had become uncontainable through standard measures. Recognizing the severity, the Master of the vessel, Captain Marco Franza, and his technical team declared a general emergency and initiated emergency protocols culminating in abandonment preparations.
Three lifeboats, each rated to carry 150 persons, were lowered in authentic evacuation fashion. Crew boarded these boats, pulled clear of the vessel, and maneuvered in the port’s waters under escort by a Coast Guard search-and-rescue craft. The design of the sequence was crafted to simulate conditions as though the ship were anchored within internal waters under Ancona’s jurisdiction, rather than merely moored alongside a quay.
Throughout the drill, the Port Authority and Coast Guard oversaw the exercise, assessing the crew’s execution against regulatory safety benchmarks. On the ship’s bridge, the operation was observed by Admiral Inspector Vincenzo Vitale, Port Commander and Maritime Director for the Marche Region, alongside his navigation safety staff. They noted that modern cruise ships are engineered to confine serious fires within a “vertical zone,” thereby limiting lateral spread, owing to integrated passive and active fire protection systems managed by trained personnel.
Admiral Vitale emphasized that the Ancona exercise surpassed routine drills in complexity, deliberately constructed to test extreme conditions and interagency coordination. He commended Captain Franza’s leadership, indicating that he “managed it perfectly” in strict alignment with international maritime distress procedures, and extended his gratitude to the crew and institutional participants.
From the crew’s standpoint, Captain Franza expressed satisfaction with the drill’s outcome, reiterating that safety remains the overriding priority. He acknowledged that while drills are regularly scheduled, cooperative training alongside external agencies such as the Port Authority yields substantial benefits. He stressed that joint practice strengthens communication and coordination among all maritime stakeholders, thereby ensuring the swiftest, most unified response should a true emergency arise. Franza also thanked Admiral Vitale, the Ancona Port Authority, and members of the press for their support and presence during the operation.