A ship that was due to carry 2,570 police officers to Brindisi, Italy, for the G7 summit to be held from June 13 to 15, 2024, was seized the day before the summit was to start due to poor conditions.
Identified as Mykonos Magic But it was renamed Goddess of the NightThe anchored ship was intended to house security personnel for the G7 summit near Borgo Egnazia in the Italian region of Puglia on the Adriatic Sea.
But in a letter to the police chief, officers shared photos of the horrific conditions and warned of serious sanitation issues, including unusable toilets, leaking water and broken air conditioning. Many cabins were deemed uninhabitable, forcing the officers to move to hotels or to other nearby ships.
Officials found water on board, ripped mattresses, moldy food and waste strewn throughout the ship. Images shared showed toilets filled with brown water, stained carpets and upturned mattresses.
of Letter of June 10th To Secretary of Public Security Vittorio Pisani Secretary-General Domenico Pianese said:, “These are the appalling housing conditions this administration has imposed on thousands of our colleagues.”
He further added: “Our colleagues are understandably upset by the way they have been treated and will do everything in their power to put our country in good stead for having the honour of hosting the G7. However, we believe that your urgent intervention is essential to guarantee minimum living conditions for those who have been sent from all over Italy to guarantee the security of this important summit.”
Confirmed in initial investigation “A serious sanitary crisis and serious accommodation deficiencies” By order of the prosecutor in Brindisi, the ship was seized for further investigation.
The summit will be attended by top world leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Poor conditions on seized ships lead to legal action
The ship was previously a Costa Cruises Destiny class ship. Costa MagicaOwned by Carnival Corporation, the ship was launched in 2004 and can accommodate up to 3,470 passengers in 1,354 cabins across 13 decks.
Mykonos Magic,Last Costa Cruises ship sold to Greek ferry company The Sea Jets docked in the port of Brindisi on June 9th and began accommodation for officers ahead of the summit.
according to Local MediaThe Home Office inspected the ship in April 2024 and recorded significant deficiencies that had not been addressed before the accident.
In response to the seizure, 1,800 police officers were moved to a nearby hotel, and another 600 Gnv AzuraThe ferry was launched in 1980. The ship has been refurbished twice, the last time in 2003, and is also under investigation for inadequate conditions.
The new ship will be able to accommodate 2,180 passengers in 570 cabins, according to the police union. “The situation is already critical and we need even more inadequate solutions.”
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Mr. Pianese said the situation “It was a total failure and unacceptable ineptitude on the part of those who had to manage it.”
The case was brought before lawmakers as a possible allegation of fraud against the shipowner, who Italian media reported had paid around 6 million euros ($6.46 million) to charter the ship for a two-day summit of the world’s largest developed countries.