Grimaldi Car Carrier Disabled in English Channel by Engine Room Fire

A car carrier transiting the English Channel reported a fire and subsequently requested a tow. Unlike other recent incidents, however, the fire appears to have been limited to the engine room and not involving the cargo aboard the vessel.

Grimaldi Euromed’s car carrier Grande Roma (14,483 dwt) departed Antwerp, Belgium, on October 24, reporting a destination of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The following day, October 25, the captain reported a fire aboard the vessel around 10:00 p.m. local time while it was in the English Channel.

The company reports that the crew employed the vessel’s CO2 system. They were also cooling the bulkheads. While the fire appeared to be out, the vessel was left without propulsion and was drifting in the Channel. Grimaldi reports the master of the vessel requested assistance.

The company hired the rescue tug Abeille Liberte, and it was able to reach the disabled vessel on Sunday morning and secured a tow line. The tow was underway, and as of late on Monday, October 27, the tow is approaching Le Havre, France. Grimaldi thanked the French and British authorities for their assistance.

Built in 2003, the vessel is one of two 5,379 CEU vessels. She was built in China and is registered in Italy. The vessel is 196 meters (632 feet) in length.

Grimaldi has been pursuing a fleet modernization program. It is building larger, ammonia-ready car carriers in China along with other vessels for its fleet of cargo vessels and passenger ferries.

This is the second fire the company has had in the English Channel in 2025. Its vessel Grande Brasile, a ConRo, reported a fire in February. At first, the crew thought they had been able to control the fire, but several hours later, a second fire was discovered on one of the car decks. The vessel was abandoned and later towed to Belgium. In April 2025, the Grande Brasile was sold for scrap.

Top photo by Alf van Beem - CC0 1.0