Fire at sea - Odyssey continues for many after fire on Mallorca ferry
Two days after the fire on a ferry to Mallorca, many of the 350 affected passengers had to wait further for their vehicles and luggage. "We hope to have new information regarding this matter by Wednesday," said a press release from the responsible shipping company GNV.
The fire broke out in the machine room of the car ferry "Tenacia" in the night from Monday to Tuesday during the voyage from Valencia to Mallorca. No one was injured. Most passengers, including many truck drivers who were professionally on the way, never reached the Spanish holiday island. They were brought back to Valencia on Monday because the damaged ship was towed there, and the cars and luggage of the passengers were left behind.
Even after two days, great uncertainty
And most of them were still waiting in Valencia after two days in the midst of great uncertainty, as reported by the regional newspaper "Última Hora" and other Mallorcan media. The shipping company GNV had provided them with hotels, it said. However, some passengers also decided not to wait and to fly to Mallorca on their own or to cancel their vacation.
Working in coordination with the responsible authorities, the Italian shipping company is working tirelessly to make all areas of the ship accessible, it said. An inquiry into the number of people waiting in Valencia was not answered immediately. Originally, GNV had assured that all affected persons would be transported with their cars and luggage on a replacement ferry to Mallorca by Tuesday.
Captain explains evacuation
In the latest press release, the captain also spoke out. He explained his decision to evacuate the boat on Monday, although the fire was already under control. An annex on the car deck was threatening to catch fire, he said. "This would have complicated the evacuation. In addition, the passengers complained that the air conditioning did not work and they could not go to their cabins. We could only rely on the emergency power generator at that time, which caused many things to fail," the captain was quoted as saying. The evacuation was carried out by the Spanish rescue services.
The 350 passengers and 61 crew members had set sail for Mallorca from Valencia on Sunday evening. The fire broke out shortly after midnight, as the ship was north of Ibiza. Professional firefighters were flown in by helicopter. Both the machine room and the car deck were under water, according to GNV. This complicates the search for the cause of the fire and has so far also delayed the unloading of the vehicles and luggage.
- Despite the efforts of the shipping company GNV, many passengers were still awaiting the arrival of their vehicles and luggage two days after the ship fire in Majorca, Spain.
- The fire incident on the car ferry "Tenacia" during its journey from Valencia to Majorca resulted in a major disruption to tourism, as many passengers had to evacuate and their vehicles were left behind.
- The Italian shipping company GNV has been collaborating with the authorities to make all areas of the ship accessible and understand the exact number of people awaiting their vehicles in Valencia.
- Due to the fire and subsequent complications in searching for the cause and unloading vehicles, the passengers affected had to rely on alternative means of transport to reach Majorca or cancel their vacations altogether.
- The captain of the "Tenacia" explained that he made the decision to evacuate the ship on Monday, as an annex on the car deck was at risk of catching fire and the air conditioning was not functioning properly, making it difficult for passengers to return to their cabins.
