On February 18, Grimaldi vessel Grande Brasile, issued a distress call reporting a fire and loss of propulsion and steering in the English Channel.
On February 18, rescue teams from France, the Netherlands, and the UK responded to a distress call from the Grande Brasile, which was drifting southward in the English Channel. The distress call reported a fire aboard the ship and the vessel later informed authorities that it had lost propulsion and steering.
Following the call, the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) requested lifeboats from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Lifeboats from Dover and Ramsgate reached the Grande Brasile, which was approximately 15 nautical miles from Ramsgate.
As reported, the vessel en route from Antwerp to Le Havre, had been traveling through the Dover Strait when the fire occurred.
Fortunately, by the time the lifeboats arrived, the crew of 28 was reported safe with no injuries. The fire had been confined to one deck and was extinguished using the ship’s onboard fire suppression system.
The Dutch Coast Guard deployed a surveillance aircraft to monitor the situation, and the French rescue vessel Abeille Normandie and the Dutch tug Multratug 35 arrived to stand by the disabled ship.
