Pelagos

La Méridionale, part of the CMA CGM group, has sold, as planned, the 'Pelagos' to an Egyptian company that should take delivery in the spring. The vessel will undergo a technical stop from Jan 7 to 13, 2025, in dock 10 in Marseille for repairs to its bow thruster. It is temporarily replaced by the 'Kalliste' on the Marseille - Tangier route until Jan 18, but will then return to service before being transferred to its new owner. The ropax, acquired at the end of 2019, which never really found its place, has been sold and will be replaced by the “Normandie”, a ship from the Brittany ferries fleet.

The L’Association Unitaire des Propriétaires de Transports de Marchandises Autonomes de l’Est announced its strong condemnation of the accident that occurred on Dec 7, on board the 'Pelagos', belonging to the company “La Méridionale”, which was authorized by the Moroccan government to transport passengers and goods between the port of Tangier and European ports, stating that the incident clearly revealed gross negligence of the ship’s crew, who did not take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the trucks and cars on board, which were not connected properly. This s considered a serious professional error for which the ship’s crew bears full responsibility and exposed lives and property to great danger. This accident was not the first of its kind for the company “La Méridionale”, but it is part of a series of accidents and mistakes that have been repeated since the beginning of the company’s activities. Despite repeated complaints from all representatives of the sector and calls to improve maritime safety, these mistakes continued without any decisive intervention by the competent authorities. The negligence in dealing with these issues confirmed the Moroccan government’s inability to provide effective supervision to ensure the safety of maritime transport, despite the importance of this sector in the national economy and its direct link with the rights of citizens. The association bears full responsibility for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, which has failed to do what is necessary to ensure the safety of passenger and truck transportation. Despite the constant repetition of accidents and errors, no effective measures have been taken to improve the situation. It demanded that those responsible for this disaster be held accountable, from the ship’s crew to the Ministry of Transport, with the need to open a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the accident. They also demanded fair and full compensation for those affected by this accident, whether materially or psychologically, including compensation for the owners of the damaged trucks and goods, as well as for those who suffered from the delays and problems resulting from the accident. The Association Unitaire des Propriétaires de Transports de Marchandises Autonomes de l’Est demanded urgent and effective measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. Report with photo: https://fr.hibapress.com/news-153273.html

On the night of Dec 7, 2024, the 'Pelagos' suffered a mechanical failure in extreme weather conditions, em route from the port of Tangier to Marseille. As it approached the maritime border between France and Spain, thel malfunction disabled the ship amid a violent storm that hit the area, with powerful winds and raging waves. Vehicles, trucks and cars on board the ship wre seriously damaged. With one of the engines out of service, the ferry no longer had the ability to maneuver to face the waves and was pitching dangerously. After several hours, the Spanish authorities finally resolved the situation and permitted the ship to enter the port of Barcelona, where it berthed at the Terminal de Transmediterranée on Dec 8 at 5.30 a.m. UTC. On Dec 9 at 5.50 a.m. it left the port again and finally arrived in Marseille on Dec 10 at 7 a.m.