[VIDEO] Greek Ferry Ravaged By Fire, Towed to Shipyard for Repair
On Wednesday, Greek shipowner Anek Lines announced that the ropax ferry Eleftherios Venizelos which was damaged by a fire onboard has been towed to the shipyard district of Perama, west of Piraeus. It will undergo repairs before been put to service again.
In a statement Anek said, “We would like to express our special thanks to the PPA . . . for their cooperation and the full support they have provided in all the processes that have been carried out, from the safe disembarkation of passengers to the final extinguishing of the fire.”
The firm also extended its thanks to PPA’s (Piraeus Port Authority) head of safety, George Sariyannis, and to the heads of the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Piraeus Fire Brigade who responded immediately to the emergency.
Piraeus Port Authority is managed by China COSCO.
The Venizelos’ route between Piraeus and Crete has been filled by other vessels, including the Blue Galaxy, Paros Jet and Blue Star 2. Sailings for Monday were canceled due to the PNO seafarers’ strike.
Late on the night of August 28, a fire broke out on the vehicle deck of the Venizelos as she was underway from Piraeus to Chania.
According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, the crew quickly brought the fire under control, and the master ordered passengers to muster in two stations towards the stern. The vessel returned to Piraeus, where shoreside fire teams of Piraeus Fire Brigade with four fire engines worked to control the blaze.
All the passengers disembarked safely to the pier while the vehicle deck was still burning.
The firefighting effort continued for days, and the ferry took on an unsettling 5-7 degree list at her berth last Friday when pooled water shifted from one side of the ship to the other. Smoke continued to billow even till Saturday.
