Two Passengers Rescued From The Vessel Euroferry Olympia

Naples, 18 February 2022

The Grimaldi Group informs that, in the late afternoon today, the Greek search and rescue teams managed to find and take two passengers out from the Euroferry Olympia, where they had been stuck up to that moment.

They are a Bulgarian citizen and an Afghan citizen, who were both evacuated and promptly transported to the hospital of Corfu for a medical check-up.

Regarding the vessel’s state, thanks to the continuous work of the firefighting teams, the fire on board the Euroferry Olympia is currently under control, while the ship cooling activities continue.

The top management of the Grimaldi Group wishes to express its deep gratitude to all the Italian and Greek authorities involved in the rescue operations, in particular to the Italian Guardia di Finanza and the Greek Coast Guard for their prompt intervention.


New update about the incident on board the vessel Euroferry Olympia

Naples, 18 February 2022

Passengers and crew members evacuated from the vessel Euroferry Olympia, on which a fire broke out last night off the Greek island, disembarked safely in Corfu at the end of the morning.

After undergoing checks by Greek authorities, evacuees have been offered complete assistance and hotel accommodation by the Grimaldi Group, while waiting to receive green light from the competent authorities to proceed with their transfer to their places of residence.

Following a check of the passengers and crew members evacuated in Corfu, 13 people would be missing. Meanwhile, five of these passengers have been traced down on board and their recovery and evacuation operations immediately started with any means available on site.

In addition, ship recovery operations continue with the use of specialized tugs. There are currently no fuel spills or other types of environmental damage.

For the rescue operations, the Grimaldi Group promptly appointed the Dutch company SMIT Salvage, a global leader in the rescue sector.

Last February 16, in Igoumenitsa, the Euroferry Olympia underwent a Port State Control visit, which ended with a positive outcome. The ship is subject to regular checks by the competent authorities as required by international legislation on navigation safety.


Update about the incident on board the vessel Euroferry Olympia

Naples, 18 February 2022

The Grimaldi Group reports that last night a fire occurred on board its ro-pax vessel Euroferry Olympia while she was about 10 miles north of the island of Corfu.

At 04:12 a.m. (local time) the ship's Master contacted the Group's headquarters informing that a fire had broken out in deck No. 3. The ship's crew immediately intervened to put out the fire with on board equipment. Meanwhile, the Master and the Group's staff, through the "emergency response team", promptly notified the incident to the competent Italian and Greek authorities and took all necessary measures to manage the accident in the best possible way.

For the safety of the people on board, the Master decided that everyone should abandon the ship. According to preliminary information, the evacuated people were rescued by a vessel of the Italian Guardia di Finanza and one of the Greek Coast Guard who were in the area. These units are heading to the port of Corfu where the Group is organizing assistance for the evacuees.

On board the ship there were 239 passengers of various nationalities, as well as 51 (Italian and Greek) crew members. In addition, the ship carries 153 commercial vehicles (trucks and trailers), as well as 32 passenger vehicles. No fuel spill has been detected at sea, nor does the stability of the ship appear to be compromised.

Tugboats have been hired and are heading towards the Euroferry Olympia to give prompt support and manage the emergency.

The vessel Euroferry Olympia (built in 1995) flies the Italian flag and is deployed by the Grimaldi Group company Grimaldi Euromed S.p.A. on the daily Brindisi-Igoumenitsa maritime connection; she had left the port of Igoumenitsa at 01:20 a.m. (local time) last night and was scheduled to arrive in Brindisi this morning at 09:00 a.m..

The top management of the Grimaldi Group expresses its regret for the incident and will fully cooperate with the competent authorities to shed light on the incident.



The Grimaldi Group, headquartered in Naples, operates a fleet of over 130 vessels and employs approximately 15,000 people. Wholly owned by the Grimaldi family, it is a multinational logistics Group specialised in the operation of roll-on/roll- off vessels, car carriers and ferries. It comprises seven shipping companies, namely: Grimaldi Deep Sea, operating in the transport of rolling cargo and container on the Atlantic routes and between the Mediterranean and West Africa; Grimaldi Euromed, specialized in the transport of rolling freight in Europe, in the Motorways of the Sea and in the transport of passengers in the Mediterranean with the Grimaldi Lines brand; Atlantic Container Line, which offers transport services for containers and rolling cargo between North America and North Europe; Malta Motorways of the Sea, shipowning company; Minoan Lines, operating in Greek cabotage for the transport of freight and passengers; Finnlines, operating in freight and passengers transport in the North and Baltic Sea; Trasmed GLE, active in the transport of freight and passengers between mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

The maritime connections are the core of an advanced logistics chain, which includes port terminals and road transport companies. The over 20 port terminals owned/operated by the Grimaldi Group are located in 12 countries around the world: Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin. Most of these terminals are fitted with Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) facilities, warehouses and workshops.

Grimaldi Group press release