The fire aboard the cargo ferry Blue Carrier 2 north of Mykonos had been partially contained by Saturday morning, with crews still working to cool and stabilize the vessel before salvage specialists could safely go aboard.
The blaze broke out Friday morning in one of the cargo ferry’s vehicle decks and later spread to other parts of the ship, forcing all 29 people aboard to evacuate.
The vessel has since developed a slight tilt to the right because of the large amount of water used to fight the fire and cool the ship’s structure. Crews have continued spraying water on the vessel to bring down temperatures inside, while preparations are being made to pump out some of the accumulated water and improve its stability.
Photos by tovima.com
The salvage tug Aigaion Pelagos, which arrived Friday afternoon, continued assisting with the firefighting and cooling operation on Saturday.
Once the ship is considered stable and conditions inside are safe, a specialized salvage team is expected to go aboard to inspect the areas affected by the fire and assess the extent of the damage. That inspection will help determine whether the vessel can be moved. If the fire is fully extinguished and the ship is judged safe to tow, authorities will decide which port it should be taken to.
All 29 people aboard — 28 crew members and a truck driver — were evacuated safely Friday. They left the vessel in two lifeboats before being transferred to a coast guard patrol boat and taken to Tinos. All were reported to be in good health.
The Blue Carrier 2 was sailing on a route linking Piraeus, Syros, Vathy on Samos, Kos and Rhodes. It was carrying 166 trucks and 29 passenger cars when the fire broke out.
Some of the trucks were carrying goods for supermarkets, including meat, dairy products and cheese. Transport companies with vehicles aboard have said they expect substantial losses.
The coast guard, Fire Service, shipowner and salvage company were coordinating the response Saturday. The coast guard is investigating the cause of the fire, which has not yet been established.
With information from AMNA
