Moby-Drea

The 'Moby Drea', which has been wandering the Mediterranean and along the Italian coast for weeks, searching for a berth to remove and dispose of asbestos-containing panels from its cabins, was permitted to enter Taranto on the night of Sep 17. After the local Port Authority initially had denied the vessel's entry into the port of Taranto, the Port Authority, led by Captain Leonardo Deri, granted the request from the captain of the tug 'Protug 75' to enter and moor at the port for safety reason, declaring it unsafe due to worsening weather conditions and requested a berth here in Taranto. On the morning, with the assistance of port services, it arrived in Taranto, where it will stay for the strictly necessary time without carrying out any work on board. If the towline had broken due to adverse weather conditions, the vessel would have been adrift without people on board in the Gulf of Taranto. This situation was unacceptable for the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment. The RINA towing certificates are also expiring and will therefore need to be renewed before the vessel can set sail again, still under tow. The Municipality of Taranto has updated that the situation is being constantly monitored and that the vessel's presence will be limited to the time strictly necessary to restore safety and allow navigation to resume. The mayor's position remains clear: the ship's cleanup cannot be carried out in Taranto. The administration is firmly requesting precise guarantees regarding compliance with safety and environmental procedures, to protect public health and the local area. For these reasons, ARPA Puglia and the Local Health Authority (ASL) will be involved, and will be required to carry out any extraordinary environmental and health checks.

The owner of the 'Moby Drea', the Messina-based company Med Fuel, has reassured that the ship will not be scrapped. The ferry was neither purchased by Moby nor sent to a shipyard in Croatia for scrapping. The ship has meanwhile reached the Calabrian coast under tow, but the port of Crotone has so far denied the availability of a dock. Davide Prestopino, the CEO of the company, said that sending the ship to Split to remove panels containing a percentage of encapsulated asbestos, was a responsible choice, also dictated by commercial reasons to increase the attractiveness on the charter market and increase the value, while there was no legal obligation to do so. The vessel could continue sailing as it has done so far and as other sister vessels plying Italian seas were doing. Therefore, rumours that the 'Moby Drea' was on the market seeking a scrapyard is denied. Regarding the removal and disposal of the panels, which must be entrusted to a specialized company with appropriate certifications, any omissions will be investigated and, if necessary, legal action taken. To carry out the task, the company in charge will board the ship, dismantle the panels in question, seal them according to the procedures required by current legislation, and transport them for final disposal, an operation not dissimilar to many interventions frequently conducted in many Italian and European ports. Med Fuel was intending to complete this work in Crotone now, but there were also options for carrying it out in other Italian and foreign shipyards in the Mediterranean. in the worst-case scenario, there could be 370 tons of panels containing a percentage of asbestos. Therefore, the asbestos on board could be around 60 tons, not hundreds as some have suggested.

The 'Moby Drea' was returning under tow to Crotone, being pulled by the tug 'Protug 75' (IMO: 9559781), operated by the Greek company Promarine, with an ETA as of Sep 7. The ship's future plans will be made public as soon as they are finalized. The return to Italy was coordinated and agreed upon with the General Command of the Port Authority. The Croatian Ministry of Transport's request, issued following protests from local residents, for the vessel to leave the port of Split and with no work, specifically, the disposal of asbestos panels, having been carried out at the Brodosplit shipyard, has thus been satisfied. In recent days, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform had intervened in the matter. The civic initiative 'Zdravi Split' lead protests demanding the ship leave Croatia, amid fears that the removal of 400 tons of asbestos would be carried out locally at the Brodosplit shipyard, exposing workers and residents to risks. For this reason, requests for its removal have been made. The open letters to the government emphasized that asbestos removal constitutes a ship recycling operation, strictly regulated by European Union law (Regulation 1257/2013) and the Basel Convention. The Brodosplit shipyard was not authorized to carry out demolition operations, therefore the ship should never have been authorized to enter Croatia for that work, according to the NGO. Two official inventories of hazardous materials dated Sep 10, 2024, and Jan 20, 2025, have further undermined trust. The first declared the presence of 64.30 tons of asbestos on board, while the second estimated almost 400 tons. This huge discrepancy raised serious concerns about oversight and transparency and reinforced the feeling that the 'Moby Drea' case was mishandled from the beginning. The platform warned that Turkey, a likely destination for demolition, could not be considered a responsible option, as Turkish ship recycling yards have repeatedly been criticized for unsafe practices, particularly in the handling and disposal of toxic substances like asbestos. Sending a ship with nearly 400 tons of asbestos to such facilities would endanger the health of workers and the surrounding communities. The shipowner and the Italian authorities, as the flag state, now have the responsibility to ensure that the ship is recycled in a certified European facility capable of managing its hazardous materials in full compliance with the law.

A tug from Malta, which will tow the 'Moby Drea', has arrived in Split. The ferry was anchored in front of the Brodosplit shipyard with 250 tons of asbestos panels. It has to leave the port until Sep 2. What would happen to it next was unknown. The Italian owner did not reveal whether it will go to a shipyard for further repairs. The shipyard was not too happy with the development of the whole situation; as it was a large project they were counting on to finally get back on their feet financially, which has now failed. Brodosplit's debt to the Ministry of the Sea for unpaid concession fees amounted to two million euros. They owe the City of Split 1.8 million euros for utility and water fees. The ship was towed to the port of Brodosplit on July 31 for the removal of partition walls filled with asbestos panels, which are located in the passenger cabins. This alarmed citizens were also supported by Mayor Tomislav Šuta, and held several protests demanding that the ship leave the shipyard as soon as possible. On Aug 11, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure issued a decision on the ship's departure from the shipyard and Croatian territorial waters within seven days. It then partially accepted the request of the ship's owner, Med Fuel S.r.l., and extended the deadline for removing the ship by an additional 15 days, due to the complex logistical and technical preparations. The Ministry banned any work to remove asbestos panels from the ship and ordered the Split Port Authority to monitor the implementation of the decision. The ship's owner immediately suspended all work, including the removal of asbestos-containing partitions, emphasizing that they were trying to comply with the law and safety standards.

Brodosplit will act in accordance with the decision of the competent authorities and take all necessary measures, including disembarking the vessel. However, that the vessel's departure is the sole responsibility of the owner. The vessel's owner is the sole entity with the right and obligation to make the decision regarding sailing. Brodosplit does not own the vessel and has no legal authority to disembark or transport the vessel independently. Only the vessel's owner can obtain the necessary permits and arrange crew and mooring. Brodosplit is solely a repair port and service provider. Brodosplit can provide technical conditions, but cannot order or conduct sailing without the owner's order. The Ministry ordered the vessel to leave the area within 7 days. The responsibility for complying with the Ministry's instructions lies with the shipowner. Med Fuel confirmed that on receipt of the stop work order on Aug 11, all construction activity was suspended. The owner is now solely focused on securing a safe tow to get the 'Moby Drea' out of Croatia, and the ministry has granted it an additional 15 days to complete the task. Split's port authority is assigned to oversee compliance.

The situation of the ' Moby Drea' has become so complicated that the Adriatic country's Ministry of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure has ordered the Messina-based shipping company Med Fuel to leave its territorial waters within a week. The matter has reached the highest levels of government in the country, in a joint action in which, in response to protests from the city of Split, the vessel's presence violates Croatian law. Brodosplit stated that the shipyard operated in compliance with the Occupational Safety Act and current regulations, and official authorization for the work was obtained. The environmental inspection determined that the shipowner did not comply with the procedures required by the EU Regulation on the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, a responsibility that Brodosplit does not assume. This procedure is the sole responsibility of the shipowner. In this specific case, the waste was planned to be disposed of in Germany, after obtaining the necessary permits from the competent authorities in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Germany. Brodosplit states that this does not involve 350 tons of toxic waste, but rather nearly 350 tons of asbestos-containing panels, a common component in ships built before 2001, as not all panels can be removed.

The Brodosplit shipyard said on Aug 4 that an authorised professional service had conducted air testing aboard the 'Moby Drea' as part of preparatory works for the reconstruction of areas containing asbestos materials. The results showed there were no asbestos fibres present in the air.

On July 28, the 'Moby Drea' has arrived at Brodosplit in Split en route from Genoa, and after 350 tons of asbestos found in the passenger cabin partition walls have been removed, it will sail towards a repair shipyard in Greece. During the removal of the passenger cabin partition walls from the ferry, the employees will have to work under strict conditions, almost like in quarantine. Every day, they will put on special disposable suits, special masks and gloves, and before they even begin the demanding and potentially dangerous work, as well as during the work, the concentration of hazardous particles will be measured. The panels are filled with asbestos, which amounts to about 350 tons. Afterthe removal, the panels will be wrapped in special foil and stacked on pallets, and then an authorized company will transport them by truck. They will be stored in special cassettes, or concrete boxes, after collection. The work in the shipyard will last two months.

The 'Moby Drea' has left the port of Genoa on July 18, 2025, being towed by the tug 'Sea Dream' (IMO: 9560259), but not headed to Aliaga, but instead bound to Split with an ETA as of July 26. It is currently unclear whether the ferry is headed to the Brodosplit shipyard or what the reason for this journey is. In May, the vessel was sold by the Onorato family's ferry company, and esd thought to be scrapped in a scrapyard in Aliaga, but in fact has been sold for commercial purposes and not for demolition, and therefore it is not excluded that it could return to service in the Mediterranean or elsewhere. Report with photo: https://www.shippingitaly.it/2025/07/21/il-traghetto-moby-drea-ha-lasciato-per-lultima-volta-litalia/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLsHURleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvqWcrRNuZnJ9ib24ge6XiwjEvADSLnI_tQPbJDSMQtfSm-reFEo-JdL2b1K_aem_DYzqUgMNhOXPRJxSMShXSQ

Sold to Aliaga Breakers

In the morning of Jujne 7, 2020, the 'Moby Drea' arrived in Cagliari with a suspected Covid-19 case on board. Before, in full compliance with the safety protocols, the temperature was measured for all passengers and nothing unusual was detected. But during the crossing one of them - a Sardinian - showed symptoms of fever, so the emergency procedures started. The captai alerted the Cagliari Coast Guard, while the company's care manager - a new figure introduced by the owner - took care of taking all containment measures. So when the ship docked, checks were carried out on the man, who was subjected to a swab, and the temperature at all the others was measured again. As a precaution, pending the outcome of the test, the passenger who felt sick was detained on board while all the others disembarked. The first medical finding excluded the hypothesis of contagion from coronavirus. But to have certainties, the response of molecular analysis was awaited.