The 2000 Con-Ro built in Italy had caught fire twice last February and the hull was then transferred to Antwerp
The Grimaldi Group’s con-ro vessel Grande Brasile, which caught fire last February while sailing in the English Channel en route from Northern Europe to West Africa, is set for demolition in a Turkish shipyard.
The Grimaldi-owned Grande Brasile was taken under tow and departed the Port of Antwerp in Belgium on Saturday, April 19. The ship will be brought to Aliaga with an ETA of May 16.
En route to the French port of Le Havre.
Grande Brasile has been at Antwerp since February 23 after it was towed there following the two separate fire incidents that occurred just hours apart on February 18 as the ship was en route to the French port of Le Havre.
Fire control
A blaze ignited on one of the decks in the early morning (local time) of February 18 but was successfully extinguished by the vessel’s fixed fire suppression system. Because it was initially apparent that the ship had suffered no further damage, the crew were allowed to remain on board.
The second blaze ignited
Later that day, a second fire was reported and, unlike the morning, the crew was unable to put it out. It is unclear whether this was a resurgence of the first fire or a new incident, but the ship was abandoned and burned for days before being towed to Antwerp on February 24, after the fire was extinguished. The wreck of the Grande Brasile left the port of Antwerp towed by a cable from the tugboat Eraclea, which will reach Aliaga on 16 May.
Related : Another Grimaldi Ship Catches Fire !
Towed Grande Brasile to Antwerp
Four tugs deployed by Netherlands-based Smit Salvage towed Grande Brasile to Antwerp, where it eventually underwent damage assessments conducted by Grimaldi representatives and Belgian authorities.
A final unfortunate episode
In recent days, a final unfortunate episode involved this 2000 ship built in Italy. During the night between Friday 18 and 19 April, the police of Beveren, a neighbourhood near Antwerp, reported that they had been besieged by complaints from citizens about a loud, prolonged noise that sounded like an alarm.
Reason that remained unexplained
It is noteworthy that the searches led to the port area of Waaslandhaven ( Antewerb ) where, from 2 to 7:30 in the morning, for some reason that remained unexplained, the siren of the Grande Brasile ship was activated, which had been lightened in the meantime before the final transfer by sea to Turkey. Only hours later did some specialist technicians manage to put an end to the noise generated by the siren.
