The “Grande Brasile”, a ConRo freighter belonging to the Italian shipping company Grimaldi, caught fire in the English Channel. 28 seamen were rescued.
The ship, which flies the Maltese flag and belongs to the Italian shipping company Grimaldi, reported a fire on board at around 09:35 on Tuesday. A short time later, there was an engine failure about 15 nm off Ramsgate.
At the time, the ship was sailing in the English Channel heading for Le Havre, about 25 kilometers east of the British city of Ramsgate. Smit Salvage is conducting the salvage operation.
In a statement to the owner, Grimaldi Group, it said that the vessel had suffered two fires. A first was discovered on Tuesday morning and extinguished using the vessel’s own fire-fighting methods. However, at around 16:25, a second fire broke out on another deck of the ship.
The British Coastguard then launched an international rescue operation on Tuesday evening to get the 28 crew members off the ship. The Dutch coastguard provided support together with French and Belgian colleagues. Smit Salvage has now been commissioned to salvage the ship.
On Tuesday evening, the “Multratug 35” arrived and established a line connection to the stricken vessel. The tugs “Multratug 36”, “Kamara” and the “Abeille Normandie”, a French coastguard vessel, are also assisting at the scene. Belgian rescue services are also involved.
According to Grimaldi, tugs used their fire extinguishing equipment to cool the hull but also to contain the fire on board. So far, the stability of the ship has not been impaired and no environmentally hazardous substances have escaped.
According to various Dutch and French media reports, the fire is now under control. There are still no indications as to the cause of the fire. However, Grimaldi has stated that a comprehensive investigation is being carried out in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
The 214-metre-long “Grande Brasile”, which operates for Atlantic Container Line AS (ACL), part of the Grimaldi Group, was on its way from Antwerp, Belgium, to Le Havre in France when the fire broke out. Grimaldi states that the vessel is carrying a mix of rolling cargo (cars, vans, trucks), containers and general cargo destined for various West African ports. The ship has a capacity for up to 3,515 TEU and a container capacity of 1,318 TEU and is also a frequent guest in Hamburg and Bremerhaven.
Pictures from the Dutch Coast Guard show the fire in the RoRo loading area of the ship. The dangers of transporting vehicles, especially older used vehicles, are a frequent topic of discussion among insurers and other authorities. Used vehicles are also considered a major hazard during transportation.
In 2019, two Grimaldi ships, the “Grande America” and the “Grande Europa”, suffered fires, which subsequently led to calls for more fire protection. These fires led to new regulations for handling hazardous substances. In 2021, a fire also broke out on a third Grimaldi ship during loading in Port Newark, New Jersey, killing two local firefighters who had boarded the ship.
