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More than a dozen Costa Cruises passengers have been placed on a “do not sail” list following a fight during a Mediterranean sailing.

The incident involved two groups of young Italian passengers, with one guest kicked unconscious, reported Italian newspaper Palermo Today.

CCTV footage shared by the Palermo Maritime Border Police shows 13 people throwing punches and flinging chairs on the Costa Smeralda ship in March.

The altercation broke out at sea during a sailing from Naples to Sicily after a passenger reportedly made an unwanted joke at a woman near the ship’s nightclub, Palermo Today said.

Fighting later spread through the corridors and into the lift area.

The ship is 337 metres in length, with a maximum passenger capacity of 6,554 people. It has 20 decks and four swimming pools.

Costa Smeralda was on a seven-night round-trip voyage that departed from Marseille, France, with stops including Barcelona and Palermo, when the fight occurred on 5 March.

The incident was referred to law enforcement in Palermo, Sicily, once the ship arrived in port, and 13 cruise guests were reported for aggravated brawling.

A Costa Cruises spokesperson said: “The safety and security of our guests and crew are our top priority. This incident occurred on March 5, 2026, and was addressed at that time by our onboard security team before being referred to law enforcement in Palermo.

“While video of the incident has only recently been shared publicly, we do not tolerate this kind of behaviour and have placed the individuals involved on our Do Not Sail List.”

In May, passengers aboard Costa Cruises were warned they could face fees for taking buffet food back to their cabins, as the cruise line cracked down on what it says are sanitation and hygiene concerns.

The Italian company, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, notified guests on select sailings that taking food out of buffet areas and restaurants could lead to a €60 (£51.50) cleaning fee, according to the cruise blog Crew Center.

Read more: 10-person fight forces EasyJet flight to return to airport just 30 minutes after take-off

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