Fire engulfs cargo ship north of Mykonos; crew rescued and tow operation underway

The fire broke out on the truck-carrier BLUE CARRIER 2 while it was following a scheduled route that includes Piraeus, Syros, Vathy, Kos, Rhodes and back to Piraeus. The vessel, loaded with 166 trucks and 29 private passenger vehicles, had 29 people on board, all of whom were rescued using two lifeboats and later moved to a coast-guard patrol boat that ferried them to Tinos, where they underwent precautionary medical examinations and were reported healthy.

A fleet of three fire-service boats, two coast-guard patrol vessels, three tugs and an anti-pollution ship were deployed to fight the blaze, apply water drops and cool the ship’s side plates. Officials stress the importance of keeping the ship away from the coastline to prevent a possible sinking that could release hazardous cargo and cause severe marine pollution. The coast guard has readied oil-spill response equipment in line with local emergency plans, and a joint operational video conference involving the coast guard, the Greek Coast Guard, the fire service, the shipowner and the salvage contractor coordinated the response. Damage to refrigerated cargo such as meat, dairy and cheese is reported as severe, and investigators from the coast guard are probing the cause, which may involve a vehicle ignition, though no definitive conclusion has been reached.