On the morning of Friday, September 25, the Attica Group’s ro-ro cargo ship BLUE CARRIER 2 caught fire while sailing in waters north of Mykonos in the Cyclades. All 29 people on board were safely evacuated and are currently in good health. Those on board included 28 crew members and one truck driver.

Attica Ferries said the fire broke out at 08:57 local time, while the vessel was carrying out a transport assignment on its scheduled route. The crew immediately activated the ship’s safety procedures and attempted to extinguish the fire using onboard equipment, while reporting the situation to the relevant authorities. The crew then organized an orderly evacuation in accordance with established procedures, using the ship’s own equipment. The company said it would continue to provide updates.

According to Greek media reports, the fire started in the ship’s No. 4 garage (vehicle loading area), and an investigation is underway into whether a truck was the source of the fire. According to reports, BLUE CARRIER 2 was carrying 166 trucks and 29 cars at the time. The ship left Piraeus on the evening of Thursday (the 24th) and called at Syros early on Friday morning (the 25th). Shortly after 11:00, the Hellenic Coast Guard transferred all 29 people on board to Tinos.

The rescue operation involved four Coast Guard patrol boats, one Coast Guard patrol vessel, as well as two high-speed firefighting boats dispatched from Syros and Lavrio respectively, one firefighting vessel, two tugs, and several private vessels. The 70-meter salvage tug AIGAION PELAGOS, which has firefighting capability, was also urgently dispatched from Piraeus to assist.

BLUE CARRIER 2 (gross tonnage 23,986, lane length 2,307 meters) was built by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1997 and was originally named CLEMENTINE. Attica Group purchased the ship from CLdN in March 2023 for €13.4 million and chartered it back to CLdN until the end of that year. The ship was renamed BLUE CARRIER 2 in January 2024 and has since operated Greek domestic freight routes under the Blue Star Ferries brand.