‘I was afraid I was going to die’
Exhaustion, anger and still a hint of fear were evident on the faces of the 673 passengers who had to come to terms with the trauma of a night in which they thought they were going to die: “When they lowered half the lifeboats, we thought, ‘This is the end’,” a Sardinian woman from Esporlatu, travelling with her family, told Ansa. Along with the other passengers, she spent the night on deck, wearing a life jacket and terrified that she might never set foot off that ship again. “We were just finishing our dinner in the ship’s pizzeria when we heard a loud noise from the engines, and then smoke began to fill the ship,” the passenger recounts. “We thought of the Moby Prince; it was terrible. Many were crying, and the information kept coming in piecemeal.”
The facts
The fire was brought under control within a short time on 20 June and caused no injuries, but forced a passenger ship to interrupt its crossing in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The GNV Azzurra, which had set sail from Porto Torres, remained off the coast of Corsica after a fire broke out in the engine room.
“Following the alarm triggered on board during the night due to a fire breaking out in the engine room,” the statement continues, “all the safety procedures required by law to protect passengers and crew were immediately activated.” The incident was dealt with without any consequences for those on board and in full compliance with the relevant protocols.
As a precautionary measure, passengers were gathered at the assembly points whilst wearing life jackets, as required by the protocols applicable in such cases, and were kept constantly informed of developments through on-board announcements in several languages. Passengers were also continuously assisted and supported by the crew throughout all stages of the incident response.
As regards the causes of the fire, the circumstances surrounding it, the technical aspects and any operational consequences, GNV will carry out “all necessary investigations with the company responsible for the technical management of the vessel and in coordination with the relevant authorities”.
