Accident involving Baleària ferry travelling between Malaga and Melilla

Accident involving Baleària ferry travelling between Malaga and Melilla

Image: Balearia

An accident involving the Baleària ferry that regularly travels between Malaga and Melilla took place early on March 12.

The Baleària Napoles ferry that regularly travels between Malaga and Melilla collided with the container ship Laust Maersk in the early hours of Saturday, March 12, at approximately 3.00am.

The ferry was sailing from the port of Malaga to the port of Melilla and resulted only in material damage. All the safety protocols of both vessels were activated and the Almeria Maritime Rescue coordinated the response.

In spite of the extensive damage to the Baleària ferry, it was able to continue sailing and arrived at the port of Melilla at 6.00am, and passengers were able to disembark at the port of the autonomous city without any problems.

While the damage is being assessed, Baleària has already announced that the Napoles will be replaced by the vessel Sicilia, its sister ship

The Napoles has been responsible for the Malaga-Melilla route since February 18 and has a capacity for 1,600 passengers and 481 vehicles. Sailing at a maximum speed of 23 knots (42.5 kilometres per hour), this 186-metre vessel, built in Italy in 2002, has been managed by Baleària since 2015.

The accident is under investigation and it appears that it will not interrupt Baleària’s regular journeys between the ports of Malaga and Melilla.


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Written by

Tamsin Brown

Originally from London, Tamsin is based in Malaga and is a local reporter for the Euro Weekly News covering Spanish and international news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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