Three arrested in Spain for Grande Europa fires

Three people have been arrested in Spain in connection with an incident last month wherein two fires broke out on a Grimaldi Lines ship as it was sailing through the Balearic Sea.

The captain and two other officers of the car carrier Grande Europa were taken into police custody on Friday, June 14, after investigators found evidence that the fires on board the vessel were deliberately ignited.

The three individuals have since appeared before a judge in Valencia and continue to deny any wrongdoing despite the evidence that the prosecution has described as “overwhelming.”

No verdict has yet been issued against the defendants, who are all Italian nationals.

Grande Europa had a crew of 25 and was transporting over 1,600 cars when the incident occurred on May 15.

The fires were extinguished and the vessel was towed to port in Palma. It has been docked there ever since to allow closer inspection of the damage.