28 Crew Members Evacuated From Burning Ship In English Channel

An international rescue operation was carried out after a fire broke out on board the roll-on/roll-off container vessel (Con-ro), Grande Brasile, on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

The ship, operated by the Grimaldi Group and registered in Malta, was sailing in the English Channel about 15 miles (25 kilometres) off the coast of Ramsgate, England when it issued a Mayday call at around 9:35 a.m.

The crew initially managed to contain the fire using onboard suppression measures, but later, at 4:25 p.m., another fire was reported.

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) coordinated a multinational rescue operation with assistance from Dutch, French, and Belgian authorities.

The Dutch Coast Guard reported that one of its aircraft, which had taken off from Schiphol, was the first on the scene and provided the British Coast Guard with information and imagery.

The HM Coast Guard deployed a helicopter, a fixed-wing aircraft and lifeboats from Dover and Ramsgate. A Belgian Coast Guard helicopter also participated in the operation.

By 10 p.m., the 28-member crew evacuated onto the ship’s lifeboat about 12 nautical miles off Ramsgate, where they were picked up by a tugboat assisting with the operation.

The crew was then transferred onto the Ramsgate lifeboat and brought ashore, where they were met by the South East Coast Ambulance Service.

An HM Coastguard spokesperson confirmed that the Deal, Folkestone, Langdon, and Margate Coastguard Rescue Teams, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, and UK Border Force were also involved in ensuring the safety of the crew. No injuries were reported.

After the crew was evacuated, salvage operations were initiated. The tug Multratug 35 established a towing connection to the burning vessel while additional support vessels, including Multratug 36, Kamara, and the French Coast Guard vessel Abeille Normandie, remained on site.

Smit Salvage has been contracted to tow the ship to port. AIS data later showed that the vessel was “Not Under Command,” moving at a slow pace of one knot.

Grimaldi Deep Sea, the vessel’s operator, confirmed that competent authorities were immediately informed after the first broke out and that the crew had successfully activated fire suppression measures.

However, the second fire led to the complete evacuation of the ship. The company also confirmed that tugboats were deployed to assist with boundary cooling efforts to contain and limit the fire.

No fuel spill or stability issues have been detected so far. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and Grimaldi stated that an investigation will be conducted in collaboration with relevant authorities.

In March 2019, the Con-Ro Grande Amercia caught fire and sank in the Bay of Biscay after a fire spread from a container on deck. In May 2019, another fire broke out on the Grimaldi-operated vehicle carrier Grande Europa near Mallorca, Spain.

More recently, in July 2023, the Grande Costa d’Avorio caught fire at Port Newark, New Jersey, burning for nearly a week and leaving two Newark firefighters dead.

The Grande Brasile is insured through the Britannia P&I Club in the UK and has maintained a clean port state control detention record over the past 17 years.

Safety checks conducted last year found no deficiencies. The investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway.

Reference: Netherlands Coastguard

Source: Maritime Shipping News