Another Grimaldi fire, this time in the English Channel. The container and vehicle RORO Grande Brasile broadcast a distress call yesterday (18 February) just after 0930, local time (GMT).
The ship was in transit through the Strait of Dover, the world’s busiest shipping lane. The ship now has tugs in attendance. The Grimaldi line has been plagued by several vessel fires in recent years.
Old Grande Brasile
The twenty-five-year-old vessel Grande Brasile was on a short sea run from Antwerp in Belgium to Le Harve in northwest France. It’s understood that the vessel got into difficulties about twelve miles (19.2km) off Ramsgate in Kent, England. A multi-national rescue response was mobilised. It’s understood that there were no casualties on board, and the fire was contained within the ship. Insurers have already stated that they expect extensive damage to cargo on board, which was a consist of cars and containers.
Three countries scrambled rescue services
Three countries scrambled rescue services in response to the Grade Brasile distress call. Ships and aircraft for the UK, the Netherlands and France responded. The UK’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) launched its fast response lifeboats to rendezvous with the ship within thirty minutes of the distress call.
Rescue response stood down
A spokesperson later told local media that the rescue response was soon stood down, once the safety of the crew had been confirmed. However, a further fire broke out later, as detailed in a statement from Grimaldi (below).
The fire had been contained
There would appear to have been fears that the fire would be more significant than eventually transpired. A Dutch aircraft, along with a tug boat and a French firefighting vessel, were all mobilised. British Coastguard sources later reported that the fire had been contained to one deck of the vessel.
The flag of Malta
It is noteworthy that the current position of GRANDE BRASILE is at North Sea reported 14 hours ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to the port of Le Havre, France, sailing at a speed of 1.0 knots and expected to arrive there on Feb 18, 20:00. The vessel GRANDE BRASILE (IMO 9198123, MMSI 215664000) is a Con/Ro Cargo Ship built in 2000 (25 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Malta according to Vessel Finder
Full statement
“Grimaldi Deep Sea (a Grimaldi Group company), operator of the Con/Ro vessel Grande Brasile reports that the ship suffered a fire on one of its decks yesterday morning at 12 nautical miles south of Ramsgate (UK).
All competent authorities were immediately informed and the crew activated on-board fire-suppression measures successfully containing the fire. Meanwhile, two tugboats were dispatched to assist and secure the vessel with lines.
This fire marks the sixth fire incident involving Grimaldi vessels in the past seven years While the cause of the fire remains under investigation , it is clear that the company has faced a series of unfortunate incidents involving its fleet. Here’s a recap of some of the significant fire accidents:
An unfortunate series of fires
Grimaldi vessels have suffered an unfortunate series of fires over the past few years. Most spectacularly, the similar vessel, Grande America sank in the Bay of Biscay in March 2019, after catching fire off the French coast while on route from Hamburg to Casablanca.
The ship was carrying a cargo of luxury motor cars from German manufacturers. More recently, in 2023, a fatal blaze broke out on board the Grande Costa D’Avorio in the Port of Newark, New Jersey. The previous year, another fatal fire broke out on the RoRo vessel Euroferry Olympia while at sea off Corfu, Greece.
The company
The company was, only in December, celebrating the launch of a new vessel in the Far East, as covered by WCN. In September it expanded its Mediterranean service network with a new cargo route between Italy and Turkey. The Naples headquartered business, entirely owned by the Grimaldi family, was founded in 1947 and has grown into a multinational integrated logistics company
Source :World Cargo News
