A fire broke out off the coast of Greece on the Italian cruise ship Euroferry Olympia, carrying 237 passengers and 50 crew members.
According to preliminary data, the fire started from the deck. The ship is in the Ionian Sea, near the Greek island of Corfu. Agence France Presse with reference to official sources. It moved along the route Igoumenitsa (Greece) – Brindisi (Italy).
The captain requested an evacuation. Coast Guard tugs and patrol boats have been sent to the ship to help the ship’s passengers. There are also passing ships, writes RIA News.
There are now five Coast Guard ships and an Italian Coast Guard vessel operating in the area, with the Hydra frigate and three helicopters rushing to the rescue at high speed. In the area of the sea where the vessel on which the fire broke out is located, north-westerly winds of force 4 on the Beaufort scale are blowing.
Meanwhile, near the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, the ship Felicity Ace caught fire with a cargo of Porsche cars, referring to the Portuguese Navy. informs Associated Press. The Felicity Ace crew issued a distress signal. The ship became “unmanageable” after a fire broke out on one of the cargo decks.
The crew of 22 people was evacuated on boats. A patrol boat of the Portuguese navy participated in the rescue operation, some of the people were picked up by ships in the area.
The Felicity Ace was carrying cars from Porsche and other brands of the Volkswagen Group, which was confirmed by representatives of the manufacturing companies. Many social media users expressed concern that the cars they ordered could be destroyed by fire or damaged.
The vessel, 200 meters long, was heading from Emden in Germany to the port of Davisville in the US state of Rhode Island. Felicity Ace was built in 2005. When fully loaded, the ship is capable of carrying about 4,000 cars. The car carrier left the port of Germany on February 10 and was supposed to arrive in the United States on the morning of February 23.
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