Fire on ship from Palermo in the Gulf of Naples, it is towed to Naples

A fire broke out in the engine room of the ferry Raffaele Rubattino in service for the Moby Lines company, some fifteen miles from the port of Naples. The ship, which left Palermo this morning with passengers and vehicles on board, was adrift, unable to navigate independently. The captain radioed the mayday and rescue operations began, coordinated by the Naples Port Authority, which sent two patrol boats to the scene.

On board were 155 passengers, plus crewmen. A fire started in the engine room and damaged the engines. The ship's captain reported that there is no need to evacuate the passengers. Two tugboats have arrived from the port of Naples to tow the ship to its destination and two Coast Guard patrol boats are also in the area.

'Today, shortly before 6 p.m., a fire broke out in the engine room of the motorship Raffaele Rubattino of the Tirrenia company bound from Palermo to Naples. The fire was promptly put out by the crew. There were no injuries. The ship is arriving in the port of Naples with the help of two tugs'. This was announced by Tirrenia in connection with the breakdown of the ship, which was adrift in the Gulf of Naples off Capri.