A fire broke out on board the car/container ship Grande Brasile on Tuesday 18 February. The ship was sailing in The English Channel at the time, about 25 kilometres east of Ramsgate. Smit Salvage subsequently carried out the salvage operation.
In a statement released by owner Grimaldi Group to SWZ|Maritime, it is said the vessel actually suffered two fires. A first that was discovered on Tuesday morning and that was suppressed using the vessel’s own fire-fighting methods. However, at about 16:25, a second fire broke out on another deck of the vessel.
The UK Coast Guard launched an international rescue operation to disembark the 28 crew members on Tuesday evening. The Netherlands Coast Guard together with French and Belgian colleagues provided support.
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Netherlands Coast Guard aircraft first on scene
Just before the Grande Brasile broadcast a mayday, the Coast Guard plane took off from Schiphol Airport. Immediately after receiving the distress signal, the plane changed its course. The Coast Guard aircraft was first on the scene to provide information and images to the UK Coast Guard.
Salvage
Smit Salvage was called in to salvage the vessel. On Tuesday evening, the Multratug 35 made a tow connection with the burning vessel. The Multratug 36, Kamara and Abeille Normandie, a French Coast Guard vessel, were at the scene to support the operation. Belgium was also providing assistance. The ship was finally towed back to the Port of Antwerp.
According to Grimaldi, tugboats used their fire hoses for boundary cooling to contain and limit the fire. No fuel spill has been detected at sea, nor was the ship’s stability compromised.
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Grande Brasile
The 56738-GT Grande Brasile was sailing from Antwerp, Belgium, to Le Havre in France when the fire erupted. Grimaldi states the vessel was carrying a mix of rolling cargo (cars, vans, trucks), containers and unitised cargo destined for various West African ports.
The vessel is 214 metres long and can carry 3515 cars, has a Ro-Ro capacity of 3505 linear metres and a container capacity of 1318 TEU. The vessel was built in 2000 and sails under the flag of Malta.
Picture (top): The Netherlands Coast Guard’s aircraft provided the British colleagues with information and images (photo Netherlands Coast Guard).
