Fantastic

The Italian authorities have detained a second sailor in connection with the cyber attack on the 'Fantastic' on Dec 17. Like the crew member detained in France in relation to the case, the suspect held in Italy was a Latvian national. The second suspect was detained while on board a ship in Naples. The discovery of spyware aboard the 'Fantastic' led to the intervention of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), arrests in France, and investigations in Latvia, amid heightened maritime cyber threats. An espionage investigation was opened on Dec 17. The ferry was temporarily detained to allow for in-depth technical investigations, searched by French intelligence services, and the 650 passengers were denied access, after the Italian authorities informed France that the ship might have been hacked using spyware, a hard drive, or a USB key inserted into the ferry's computer system, allowing remote control. According to initial findings, the detected program appears to be a remote access tool (RAP), capable of enabling prolonged intrusion into the ship's computer networks. The authorities did not indicate that an actual takeover of maritime functions had been observed, but the nature of the operation justified the mobilisation of specialised services. After the seals were removed and the immediate risks were eliminated, the ferry was authorised to resume commercial operations. The investigation was entrusted to the Paris public prosecutor's office, which has jurisdiction over offenses against automated data processing systems and threats to national security. Two crew members, of Latvian and Bulgarian nationality, were apprehended on board and taken into custody on Dec 12. Following this phase, the 20 year old Latvian national was formally charged and placed in pretrial detention, notably for breaching a computer system in connection with foreign interests. The second crew member was released without charge. As a continuation of the proceedings, searches were carried out in Latvia, with the support of local authorities and European judicial cooperation mechanisms, confirming the international dimension of the case. The judicial authorities were suggesting possible foreign interference. The Minister of the Interior admitted that Russia might be behind the affair.

Two suspects were arrested on Dec 14, 2025. They were suspected of carrying out a hostile act in France, with the 'Fantastic' being at the center of an investigation into serious suspicions of espionage and cybercrime. Experts identified a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that could have granted attackers full remote control of the ship’s systems. One of the men has been formally charged for this. A Russian connection was being considered. The Italian security services suspected a Latvian national and a Bulgarian citizen of being spies. On Dec 12, the French General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) launched an emergency operation to transport the two suspected spies. One of the suspects was taken into custody and formally charged in Paris, then placed in pretrial detention after the discovery of a highly sophisticated computer system capable of remotely controlling the ship. The ship's computer system may have been infected by a malicious RAT (remote access tool), enabling remote control. Initially immobilised and sealed off, the 'Fantastic' was the subject of an emergency investigation by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), which led to the seizure of several items, in the port of Sète, in the Hérault department, starting on Dec 11, 2025. The ship was able to set sail again on Dec 16, next headed to Algiers with an ETA as of Dec 17, after the approval from the maritime authorities, once the technical assessments had been completed and all danger to those on board had been eliminated. Emergency searches were also carried out in Latvia with the support of Eurojust and the Latvian authorities. One of the accused had just been hired as trainee by the Italian shipowner GNV, which operates the vessel. The second man was a crew member of the ship. According to DGSI agents, these were "cover" positions, and they suspect the two men were acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. A judicial investigation has been opened on charges of attacking an automated data processing system as part of an organized group with the aim of serving the interests of a foreign power, participation in a criminal conspiracy, and possession without justification of equipment or software designed to attack an automated data processing system as part of an organised group with the aim of serving the interests of a foreign power," the Paris prosecutor's office stated.

The 'Fantastic' with 650 passengers for the Sète-Béjaïa crossing was scheduled to depart on Dec 13, 2025, at 6:00 a.m. The ferryfinally left the port of Sète in the evening, after a delay of more than 16 hours. Travelers from northern France, the Paris region, as well as Belgium, England, Germany, and the Netherlands, found themselves stranded at the port entrance, without clear information or any organised assistance. The passengers received an initial message in the middle of the night informing them that the departure could not take place as planned, before receiving successive text messages announcing delays to 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and then 4:00 p.m. It wasn't until 4:51 p.m. that GNV finally confirmed a new departure time of 7:30 p.m., inviting customers to check in and apologising for the inconvenience. Some passengers spent the night in their vehicles. The ship was requisitioned by the court and placed under investigation as part of a search for an individual and computer equipment, a measure which was decided the previous day. The passengers were able to buy tickets at the last minute, even though the company knew the ship wouldn't depart on time. On site, no clearly identified GNV representative explained the situation, leaving the Sète municipal police to manage traffic and try to calm the passengers' anger. Late in the afternoon, the situation gradually improved and boarding was able to begin. The ferry left the port before 10 p.m. The passengers denounced both the lack of transparency in communication and the absence of any real assistance. To date, the company has not issued any detailed statement publicly clarifying the precise reasons for the lengthy delay.

The CCS Palma of Salvamento Marítimo was alerted on Oct 6, 2025, at 2:35 a.m. after the medevac of a passenger of the 'Fantastic', became necessary. The SAR helicopter Helimer 203 helicopter hoisted the patient, who was transported to Palma. At 5 a.m. hewas picked up by an ambulance at the Palma Airport for the further transfer to a hospital.

The security team aboard the 'Fantastic', en route from La Goulette to Genova discovered four young stowaways hiding in one of the vessel's food stores, after secretly infiltrating the vessel with the intention of reaching Italy on Jan 21, 2024. The vessel headed back to La Goulette at 8.30 p.m. UTC, one hour after the departure, to hand the stowaways over to Tunisian security personnel, before continuing with its scheduled service to Genova. The ship finally reached the port on Jan 22 at 10.20 p.m.

On April 18 at 3:00 p.m. the medical evacuation of a 77-year-old passenger of the 'Fantastic' was carried out 22 nautical miles east of Carboneras due to hypoglycemia. The CCS Almería of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR helicopter Helimer 207, which hoisted the patient and took him to the Almería airport, where an ambulance was waiting for him for the further transport to hospital.

On April 14, 2023, the 'Fantastic' requested the medical evacuation of a 63-year-old man with half-body paralysis 2,5 miles south of Sant Feliu. The CCS Barcelona of Salvamento Marítimo mobilized the SAR boat 'Salvamar Sirius' to the scene, which transported the man to the port of Palamós, where he was picked up by an ambulance.