Fire damaged Grimaldi Con-Ro to be broken up in Turkey

A Con-Ro vessel that suffered two onboard fires and power loss in the English Channel earlier this year has been sold to a Turkish firm for eventual scrapping.

The Grimaldi-owned Grande Brasile was taken under tow and departed the Port of Antwerp in Belgium on Saturday, April 19. The ship will be brought to Aliaga with an ETA of May 16.

Grande Brasile has been at Antwerp since February 23 after it was towed there following the two separate fire incidents that occurred just hours apart on February 18 as the ship was en route to the French port of Le Havre.

A blaze ignited on one of the decks in the early morning (local time) of February 18 but was successfully extinguished by the vessel's fixed fire suppression system. Because it was initially apparent that the ship had suffered no further damage, the crew were allowed to remain on board.

The second blaze ignited on one deck at around 16:00. This blaze was deemed to be more severe, prompting the evacuation of all 28 of the ship's crew.

Four tugs deployed by Netherlands-based Smit Salvage towed Grande Brasile to Antwerp, where it eventually underwent damage assessments conducted by Grimaldi representatives and Belgian authorities.