by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:10 PM ET, Wed January 22, 2020
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has filed a lawsuit against MSC Cruise Management Wednesday as a result of a June crash between two ships in Italy.
The luxury river cruise company is seeking reimbursement for damages incurred when the River Countess was struck by the MSC Opera while the Uniworld ship was docked at the San Basilio Cruise Terminal in Venice on June 2, 2019.
Uniworld estimates its losses associated with the accident to be in excess of 11.5 million Euros (around $12.75 million), including passenger reimbursement, ship damage, lost revenue and the protection of travel agent commissions.
While Italian authorities continue to investigate the crash, Uniworld officials said the damage to the River Countess has impacted nearly 1,600 guests over several months and was "incredibly distressing, particularly for those guests and crew who experienced the traumatic moment."
Uniworld CEO and President Ellen Bettridge released a statement on the litigation:
"We do not like to litigate but have been compelled to do so based on the stonewalling and delays by MSC and its representatives - even after receiving a letter of guarantee by their own insurance agency, West of England. We expect more and better from a fellow member of the cruise industry and regret having to go to court to seek fitting remedy."
"We are extremely disappointed with the unprofessional manner in which MSC has decided to ignore the gravity of the situation, which has disrupted our guests, our partners and our team. Aside from the severe damage to our ship [River Countess], we were forced to cancel 14 voyages, frustrating our guests and travel partners during the peak summer season."
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