TASSILI II

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Ferry and crew put under quarantine as a precaution

The 'Tassili II' and its crew of 97, were kept in quarantine in Bizerte. The ferry from Marseille was only allowed to enter the port of Bizerte on March 11 after having been immobilized near the Bizerte canal since March 10. The crew's first tests for coronavirus showed no symptoms of the virus. The ferry was scheduled to dock at the Tunisian Mechanical Repair Company at Menzel Bourguiba for necessary maintenance and repairs on March 11. During this time, the entire crew of must remain on board for 14 days from this date, and no contact with employees of the repair company will be allowed.

Water ingress in Oran

On Sep 27, 2019, the 'Tassili II' with 800 passengers on board suffered water ingress in the engine control room. This prompted the crew to postpone the departure from the port of Oran to Alicante. One of the technicians of the shipping company Algeria Ferries discovered the incident just before the departure of the ship. The incident caused a great panic among the passengers. The shipping company finally announced that the ship was going to sail on Sep 27 at 9 a.m. However, several passengers refused to board.

Captain suspended, repair critizised

The sanctions against those held responsible for the allision of the "Tassili II" with the "Han Xin" in Oran on Sep 1, continued. After the dismissal of the CEO of the port infrastructure, the ferry captain and two of his staff were suspended on Sep 7. The decision was taken by the commission of inquiry. The ship was repaired by welding a metal plate onto the breach. This decision was criticized in the public, which was refuted by the commercial director of ENTMV, Karim Bouzned, for whom the process presented no danger.