Golden-Bridge

The fire which broke out aboard the 'Golden Bridge' on March 6, 2026, at 5 a.m., during the Barcelona-Palma de Mallorca crossing, had its origin inside the cabin of a commercial vehicle transported in the car deck. The crew responded immediately, applying established procedures and quickly containing the incident, without any consequences for passengers. In accordance with procedures, the stern area was evacuated, and passengers were kept constantly informed. No passengers requested assistance from the crew, and the ship continued its journey to its final destination autonomously. GNV further clarified that the vehicle involved was not a refrigerated truck, as erroneously reported, and had been loaded through the port terminal's standard loading operations. Because the source of the fire was located on a vehicle loaded from land, on March 7, GNV, in coordination with the ship's owner, filed a formal complaint with the competent authorities to ensure the circumstances that led to the fire could be ascertained as accurately as possible. GNV confirmed its full cooperation with the authorities and the ship's owner to fully clarify the incident. The ferry left Palma again on March 9, headed to Piraeus with an ETA as of March 12. Report with photo: https://www.shippingitaly.it/2026/03/08/incendio-estinto-nel-garage-del-traghetto-golden-bridge-operato-da-gnv/?fbclid=Iwb21leAQb9y9jbGNrBBv3K2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHteIO_UifCRvmaktlHe3trJY3LL12kMdOlSEqAaLSTExLNd76Gc5SlfB6sgs_aem_V8cTxX2GJXhG-CfjD-ZvWg

On March 6, 2026, at around 6.30 a.m. a fire broke out in a truck carried aboard the 'Golden Bridge', enroute from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca with 126 passengers and 46 crew members on board, while the ship was 50 nautical miles off the port of destination. The fire was extinguished by the crew. The ship continued its voyage and arrived at the port of Palma at around 9:30 a.m. It was escorted by the Helimer 203 helicopter and the emergency tug 'Marta Mata' (IMO: 9429120) and the SAR boat 'Salvamar Libertas', which had been mobilised by Salvamento Marítimo. Although the fire was extinguished before the ship reached port at 9:45 a.m., the accumulation of smoke in the hold prompted a large-scale operation involving firefighters (SEIB 112, Palma Firefighters), the Civil Guard and emergency services, including the mobilisation of tugs, which ultimately were not needed. Once disembarked, paramedics from the SAMU 061 emergency medical service treated 12 passengers: ten with minor injuries and two in serious condition who were taken to a hospital. Among those evacuated for smoke inhalation was a three-year-old girl. The authorities were now investigating the cause of the fire on board. Reports with photos and video: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/20260306/nuevo-incendio-bodega-ferry-cubria-127630158 https://www.cronicabalear.es/mallorca/2026-03-06/incendio-ferry-llegado-palma-es-segundo-menos-24-horas/ https://x.com/i/status/2029855333955285281

On March 6, 2026, at around 6.30 a.m. a fire broke out in a truck carried aboard the 'Golden Bridge', enroute from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca with 200 passengers on board. The fire was extinguished by the crew, and there were no reported injuries. The ship continued its voyage and arrived at the port of Palma at around 9:30 a.m. Fire crews were waiting at the dock and inspected the interior to ensure the fire was completely put out.

The Port Authority of Igoumenitsa was informed in the night of Jnan 13, 2021, that during the process of mooring of the 'Golden Bridge' at the port of Igoumenitsa the ship slammed into the bumpers of the pier. The ship was operating on its scheduled route Brindisi - Igoumenitsa. Immediately, the ship was investigated by the Local Ship Inspection, and it was found that there was a hull breach one meter above the waterline. No injuries were reported and no marine pollution nor water ingress were observed. The ferry disembarked 35 passengers, 28 cars and two trucks, while the 69 passengers, the 26 vehicles and 14 trucks, waiting to board, were forwarded to their destination with the care of the ship owner. The Central Port Authority of Igoumenitsa, which conducted the preliminary investigation, banned the ship from sailing until the presentation of a certificate of airseaworthiness and a certificate of class maintenance by the attending classification society. It remained stationary in port as of Jan 14.

A breakdown of the "Golden Bridge" which was linking Motril and Melilla since June, has forced all ticket reservations to be canceled, at least until the night of Aug 14, 2019. A crack in the hull had occurred on Aug 11 and was currently being repaired at El Varadero in Motril. Travel alternatives have been offered to all passengers who were affected. They may use another route also from another shipping company or get the refund of the ticket amount. The ship was due to leave Motril again on Aug 15 at 8.30 a.m.

With the imminent arrival in May of the GOLDEN BRIDGE, which will operate the service linking Motril with Melilla on behalf of FRS, the replaced VOLCAN DE TAUCE will take over and upgrade the until-now all-cargo service between Motril and Tangier Med.