On the fourth day since the fire broke out, Attica Group’s freight ro-ro Blue Carrier 2 remains at the centre of firefighting and stabilisation operations south-west of Tinos. The fire broke out at 08:57 on Friday 25 September while the vessel was sailing 4.5 nautical miles north of Mykonos and 7.5 miles east of Tinos. The latest available official statement, issued by the Greek Coast Guard on 27 September, reported five tugboats at the scene and fires still burning on board. There were 29 people on the vessel, 28 crew members and one truck driver. They evacuated the ship in two lifeboats, were transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and landed at Tinos, all in good health. Attica said safety procedures were activated immediately and evacuation was ordered when the fire could no longer be brought under control using the ship’s own equipment. The vessel had departed Piraeus on Thursday 24 September carrying 166 commercial vehicles and 29 cars and was operating the Piraeus-Syros-Vathy (Samos)-Kos-Rhodes-Kos-Piraeus service.
The operation is being coordinated by the Coast Guard’s Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre. During the initial phase, two patrol vessels, one pollution-control vessel, three Fire Brigade units, a private salvage vessel and three tugboats were deployed, with the number of tugs later rising to five. The Aigaion Pelagos, a salvage tug around 70 metres long and equipped with firefighting capability, also departed from Piraeus. During the night of 25 to 26 September, Blue Carrier 2 was towed to a sheltered position on the south-western side of Tinos, while anti-pollution equipment remained on standby at nearby ports. Water used to cool the hull caused the ship to list to starboard. Salvage teams plan to pump out some of the accumulated water before allowing technicians on board for an inspection. Only after that assessment will it be possible to determine whether the vessel can be towed and to which port.
There has been no official determination of the cause, and the preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Tinos Port Authority. Greek media have indicated a commercial vehicle in garage deck number 4 as a possible point of origin and have suggested that a cargo of chemicals may be sustaining the fire. Neither reconstruction has been confirmed. Built in Japan by Kawasaki in 1997 under the name Clementine, Blue Carrier 2 is around 162.5 metres long, has a gross tonnage of 23,986 tonnes and provides 2,307 lane metres of cargo capacity. Attica Group acquired the vessel in 2023 and operates it under the Blue Star Ferries brand.
The ship’s immobilisation is affecting supplies to the eastern Aegean islands and the Dodecanese. According to the newspaper Efsyn, 38 of the commercial vehicles on board were bound for Samos, while To Vima reports that some were carrying supermarket goods including meat, dairy products and cheese. The same local reports say that cargoes destined for Rhodes and Kos remain on board, and on Monday Greek MP Manos Konsolas called for alternative solutions, with contact planned with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. For Samos, News24/7 reports that Blue Carrier 1 will add a call at the island from Thursday for special cargoes, while non-dangerous goods are already being carried on regular ro-pax ferries.
