GRANDE EUROPA

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Fire may have been arson

The Guardia Civil arrested the captain and three officers on June 14 for the suspicion of arson aboard the "Grande Europa" which caught fire on May 15 with a cargo of 1.843 vehicles 40 kilometers off Palma de Mallorca. The ship was actually getting repaired in Valencia where the arrests also took place. Arson was suspected because the fires broke out independently. The ship has been shifted to Naples on July 2 and berthed at the Terminal Flavio Giovia at 11 a.m. She left the port again on Oct 5 at 6.40 p.m. and headed to Messina where it arrived on Oct 6 at 10 a.m. and was docked at the Palumbo S.P.A. for repairs. after repairs on Oct 25 at 3.40 p.m. and headed to Gemlik as first port of call where it docked from Oct 27 at 9 p.m. until Oct 28 at noon before heading to Antwerp with an ETA as of Nov 2, 7 a.m.

Grande Europe in Valencia

The "Grande Europa" arrived at Valencia under tow on May 23 at 03.15 a.m. after multiple postponements. The ship had left the port of Palma in the afternoon of May 20 after receiving the authorization of the Maritime Captaincy. The central government, the Balearic Government and the City Council of Palma collaborated in the coordination of the response along with different departments and rescue and emergency services. In reference to the vehicles that were carried on their ships, Grimaldi demanded greater attention on the batteries of the cars, which can generate short circuits and fires. The growth of the hybrid and electric market has increased this type of accidents. The extinction of this type of fire is very complicated and lengthy.

Grimaldi Group Calls for Tighter Cargo Controls After Fires

Italian shipping company Grimaldi Group has issued a statement addressing this week’s fire on board the Grimaldi Lines vehicle carrier Grande Europa in the Mediterranean, calling for more stringent controls and regulations following a spate of recent incidents in which cargo caught fire. The fire on board the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier Grande Europa started on May 15 as the vessel was underway approximately 25 miles from Palma de Mallorca. The fire resulted in the evacuation of 15 of the 25 crew members on board with no reported injuries. The fire was subsequently put out and the vessel towed to Palma. Grimaldi reported that the vessel was loaded with 1,687 mostly new vehicles, such as cars, vans, trucks and excavators, and 49 containers containing mainly food products. In addressing the incident, the group said that preliminary investigations have shown there were actually two seperate fires, both of which broke out in vehicles stowed on board: “The alarm was given by the crew at 00:45 a.m., due to a fire broken out on deck 3, which was completely extinguished by the crew itself after about 45 minutes. At 04:00 a.m., a second fire was located on deck 8, which spread to deck 9; also here, the crew promptly intervened with the firefighting equipment on board,” the statement said.