A fire broke out onboard an Italian-flagged roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) passenger ship off the Greek island Ereikoussa in the early morning hours of 18 February 2022.
At the time of the incident, the 183-meter-long Euroferry Olympia, operated by Italian shipping company Grimaldi Lines, was en route from Igoumenitsa (Greece) to Brindisi (Italy).
The ferry had 239 passengers and 51 crew members onboard when it departed from the Port of Igoumenitsa, Hellenic Coastguard said. In addition, it carries 153 commercial vehicles and 32 passenger vessels.
Following the ship’s distress signal at around 4:30 A.M., Italian and Greek authorities immediately dispatched tugboats, patrol ships and helicopters to the scene. Local fishing boats also assisted in the rescue efforts.
This content is available after accepting the cookies.
While the majority of passengers and crew members have been rescued, twelve people have been reported missing, the Hellenic Coastguard added.
The 1995-built ferry is currently adrift in Albanian waters.
“No fuel spill has been detected at sea, nor does the stability of the ship appear to be compromised,” Grimaldi said in a statement.
The Italian Coast Guard naval and air units are participating in the operation to prevent potential marine pollution in the area of the incident.
This content is available after accepting the cookies.
La #GuardiaCostiera è in costante contatto con le autorità greche impegnate nel soccorso del traghetto in fiamme a largo delle coste greche. Le persone a bordo sono state tratte in salvo. Approntati mezzi aerei e navali del Corpo in assetto ambientale per supporto alle operazioni pic.twitter.com/iTqnHPgmmC
“ An ATR42 airplane of the Coast Guard in environmental order is flying over the area in these hours to guarantee every possible form of support to the foreign counterparts,” the Italian Coast Guard informed.
“The Italian Coast Guard asked the EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency) for support for the acquisition of satellite images to investigate any environmental aspects.”
An investigation into the incident has been launched.
Grimaldi vessels involved in a number of fire incidents
The ferry Euroferry Olympia is another in a number of Grimaldi ships that suffered fire-related incidents over the past few years.
Related Articles
Grimaldi RoRo Catches Fire after Being Hit by Truck in Brazil
Grimaldi RoRo Ship Catches Fire off Italy Business & Finance Car Carrier Grande Europa Catches Fire off Spain Probably the most catastrophic one involved the Grande America which sank in March 2019 after suffering a fire and developing a starboard list.
Follow Offshore Energy’s Green Marine on social media: