Ferry disabled following engine room fire near Naples, Italy

A Ro-Pax ferry operated by Italian shipping company Moby suffered an onboard fire while it was approaching the Port of Naples in Western Italy on Sunday, August 10.

The incident on Raffaele Rubattino occurred at around 18:00 local time on Sunday while the ferry was sailing from Palermo to Naples with 155 passengers and vehicle cargo.

The fire, which had ignited in the engine room, was successfully extinguished by the crew. However, the resulting damage left the ferry unable to navigate without assistance.

Two patrol boats and two tugs later arrived on-scene while medical personnel remained on standby at the port to receive any passengers who may require treatment following disembarkation.

The tugs eventually towed the damaged ferry to port, where the passengers were safely disembarked.

The captain had told port authorities that the passengers did not need to be evacuated, as the crew have successfully prevented the blaze from spreading to the other onboard areas.