The vehicle decks on the passenger-car ferry “Eleftherios Venizelos” have opened after the fire brigade successfully contained a fire that broke out in the third vehicle deck using foam and water. The fire started while the ferry was sailing from Piraeus to Chania, forcing it to return to Piraeus in order to evacuate the 875 passengers to safety.
The vehicle decks are still filled with smoke while some trucks have been unloaded. It was carrying 80 trucks and 152 smaller vehicles in total.
According to Fire Brigade Chief Vasilios Mattheopoulos, it was a very difficult operation for fire fighters due to the restricted space on the vehicle decks, which contained a large number of vehicles, and the thick smoke. All the passengers on board were evacuated safely and there were no injuries, he added, while the ship had not been carrying flammable materials.
The ship owner ANEK Lines issued an announcement thanking all those that responded to the emergency and helped put out the fire, as well as passengers for their patience and understanding and following the instructions of the crew. ANEK announced that passengers can call the phone lines 210 4197470 and 210 4197420 for any further information. Some passengers have already been sent on to their destination in other ships, while others have been put up in hotels.
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Ferry Ignites With 1,016 POB In Greece
August 29, 2018 by Reuters
Smoke rises from the Eleftherios Venizelos ferry as a firefighting vessel tries to extinguish a fire on the ferry, at the port of Piraeus, Greece, August 29, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
by Alkis Konstantinidis (Reuters) – A passenger ferry with 1,016 people onboard returned safely to the port of Piraeus in the early hours on Wednesday after it reported a fire while en route to Crete, the Greek coast guard said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, a coast guard official told Reuters.
The Eleftherios Venizelos, carrying 875 passengers and 141 crew, was sailing off the island of Hydra when it notified the coast guard around midnight (2100 GMT) that a car parking compartment had caught fire.
It was escorted back to Pireaus after authorities scrambled air and sea assets to the area.
“It was a huge operation and everything went to plan,” said Nikos Lagdianos, spokesman for the coast guard.
At Pireaus a Reuters witness saw passengers in lifejackets walking down a sideway stair, while smoke billowed out of the ship. Firefighters were deployed at the pier.
People posted pictures on social media of individuals crowded on decks wearing red life jackets.
“It was difficult to breathe from the smoke,” one passenger identified only by her first name, Natassa, told Skai TV. Another reported hearing a ‘big noise’ before passengers were advised to wear lifejackets and head to assembly areas.
Disembarkation of all passengers was completed around 0700 am (0400 GMT).
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, but authorities were investigating the possibility it may have started from a vehicle. There were more than 200 vehicles, including trucks, on the vessel. Leaking fuel and high temperatures provide the right environment for a nasty fire like this one. It only takes a spark and boom!
