Cruise Ship Captain Fined & Warned For Violating Protected Waters Near Capri

The captain of the cruise ship Silver Ray, operated by Silversea Cruises, has been fined and formally warned after the ship entered protected waters near the iconic Faraglioni rocks off the coast of Capri, Italy, on May 3, 2025.

The incident took place while the 244-meter (801-foot) luxury cruise ship was on an 11-night voyage from Barcelona, Spain, to Rome, Italy.

During the journey, the vessel sailed within 500 meters (1,640 feet) of the towering Faraglioni formations, a zone clearly marked as restricted to protect the local marine ecosystem.

The incident was recorded on a smartphone and showed the 728-passenger ship passing very close to the coastline near Marina Piccola, an area considered highly sensitive due to its ecological significance.

The video was quickly forwarded to the Italian Coast Guard by Legambiente, an Italian environmental group, which led to a formal investigation.

Authorities used AIS (Automatic Identification System) data and a monitoring platform to retrace the ship’s movements and confirmed that it had violated the restricted boundaries.

As a result, Silversea Cruises was fined €1,032 (about $1,158), and the captain received a written warning from the Campanian Maritime Authority.

Although the fine appears relatively small for a company that generates millions of dollars in annual revenue, authorities stressed the importance of the penalty. It serves as a clear reminder that protected zones exist for the safety of both people and the marine environment.

 

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According to a translated post shared by the Italian media outlet GreenMe, the ship’s close pass may have seemed picturesque for guests, but it posed a real risk to one of the most delicate marine habitats in the Mediterranean. It also mentioned that a rare monk seal, a critically endangered species, had recently been sighted in the same waters.

Environmental experts pointed out that sailing such a large vessel close to the rocks not only threatens marine wildlife but also places the ship and its passengers at risk.

The Faraglioni rocks, which stand around 328 feet tall and have sharp, uneven edges, could cause serious damage to vessels, especially in poor weather conditions.

The Silver Ray did not cause any damage during its pass, but people compared it to the famous Costa Concordia disaster of 2012.

In that incident, a similar “salute maneuver” was performed. The ship sailed closer to the island than intended and struck a rock formation on the sea floor, causing the cruise ship to sink, killing 32 people. Environmentalists warn that such gestures can be very risky.

In response to the latest incident, Legambiente’s Capri chapter has begun urging for stronger protections. The group is calling for the waters surrounding Capri to be officially declared a Marine Protected Area (MPA) to prevent future violations and safeguard biodiversity.

The waters around Capri are home to endangered coral species, various fish, small marine mammals, and the blue lizard, a subspecies of the Italian wall lizard unique to the region.

The recent sightings of the Mediterranean monk seal have added urgency to environmentalists’ demands for stricter regulations. As of now, Silversea Cruises has not released an official statement about the incident.

References: CruiseHive, luxury-cruising

Source: Maritime Shipping News