On Friday 29th September, 2023 around 2340 hrs a fire broke out in the engine room on the 1980 built ITA flag and owned ferry COSSYRA, off Linosa Island whilst sailing from Lampedusa to Porto Empedocle, with 177 souls on board, including 150 passengers (83 of them were migrants) and 27 crew members.
After the distress call was received from Guardia Costiera Operations Rescue Center, rescue operation started with coordination via Circomare Lampedusa
and with CP 324 SAR unit based at Lampedusa
With the help of the 94 metre offshore patrol vessel (OPV) CP 941 UBALDO DICIOTTI which has 4 RHIB’s apart other amenities.
which carried out the transfer operations from the ship and secured all the passengers, including 83 migrants escorted by Carabinieri Personnel.
CP 941 UBALDO DICIOTTI also operated in fire-fighting, cooling the parts of the ferry affected by the fire with her monitors. In total, the Coast Guard said in a statement, 147 people, including women and children, were aboard the Diciotti ship and will arrive safely in Porto Empedocle, while three passengers were transferred with CP 324 to Lampedusa.
The ship, on which she was still manned by her crew members, was disabled and unable to continue navigation. Until the tugboat arrived the Guardia Costiera CP 200 Class Patrol Craft CP 291 remained in the area for assistance.
On Saturday 30th September, the Maltese tug SPINOLA part of Rimorchiatori Mediteranei SpA, left Marsaxlokk Harbour, Malta around 1444 hrs bound to the ferry to tow her to Augusta, Sicily.
SPINOLA arrived in the ferry area of which she drifted towards Lampedusa around 2120 hrs and immediately towage operations started to be safe from Lampedusa Island and ready for towage to Sicily for repairs of which an hour later SPINOLA was engaged in towing ops.
And that means that the convoy started with today Sunday 1st October, they passed Gozo on their way to Augusta, Sicily , to arrive tomorrow Monday 2nd October, 2023.
