Italian authorities have fined Silversea €1,032 for a manoeuvre by Silver Ray off the coast of Capri that brought the vessel too close to the renowned Faraglioni rock formations.
The sail-by, performed by the captain to give the ship’s guests a closer view of the stunning landscape, was filmed by delighted passengers but also by local environmentalists concerned about the proximity of the ship to the formations, The Maritime Executive reported.
The video was then inspected by authorities who also assessed the Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal. They determined the vessel had passed within 500 metres of the rocks, failing to adhere to Italian regulations around maintaining a minimum distance.
The fine was therefore issued, along with a formal reprimand of the ship’s captain by the Italian Coast Guard.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.
Authorities referred back to the fateful Costa Concordia incident of 2012 when the vessel ran aground while performing a similar sail-by, causing the deaths of 32 people.
Meanwhile, Italian conservationists saw the incident as evidence of the need for the creation of a larger marine reserve to prevent ships from entering the area and have amplified their efforts to bring this to fruition.
