Villa-San-Giovanni

The 'Villa San Giovanni', enroute from Tremestieri to Villa San Giovanni, was forced to stop in the Strait of Messina due to an engine failure caused by a fire on Nov 22, 2021. The Port Authority immediately sent tugs, the patrol boat 'CP 852' and the fire boat 'M03' to the scene. Also the ferry 'Caronte & Tourist' attended. About 20 people were evacuated without any injuries recorded. The ferry was towed to Villa San Giovanni, after the fire was put out jointly with the crew. Report with photos: https://www.meteoweb.eu/2021/11/incendio-su-traghetto-nello-stretto-di-messina-soccorritori-sul-posto-foto-e-video-in-diretta/1741108/ https://www.tempostretto.it/news/messina-traghetto-villa-s-giovanni-in-avaria-nello-stretto.html

The 'Villa San Giovanni' sailed from Reggio di Calabria, with restricted manoeuvrability, on Nov 29 at 8.45 a.m., bound for Messina. At 10 a.m. the same day she was berthed in port by the salvage tug 'Megrez' (IMO: 9334911).

In the afternoon of Nov 27, 2019, the 'Villa San Giovanni', which had departed from Tremestieri at 3 p.m., suffered an engine failure which caused the development of thick black smoke, which initially was thought to be a fire which occurred between Gallico und Catonazu one mile off the Calabrian coast. The ferry stopped and issued a distress call. The emergency was coordinated by the maritime authority of the Strait of Messinga. Two boats of the Italian Coast Guard, the tug 'Megrez' and a fire brigade unit intervened. The 22 passengers were safely taken off by the patrol boat 'CP 265' and taken to the port of Reggio Calabria where they were medically checked. The ship was towed into Reggio Calabria at 5.15 p.m. by the 'Megrez' and the freight units were unloaded. The fire brigade penetrated the engine room with respirators and started an investigation along with the crisis unit of the ferry company Caronte & Tourist Spa. According to preliminary reports the ferry had suffered a technical failure. Italian reports with photos and video: http://www.ansa.it/calabria/notizie/2019/11/27/principio-dincendio-su-traghetto_e5e770a9-a898-4478-8ab6-13b0ebbc773a.html https://www.tempostretto.it/news/reggio-calabria-fumo-dallanave-villa-san-giovanni-forse-solo-un-avaria-al-motore-foto.html#06grDa20sQQ8Jyhh.99 http://www.messinaindiretta.it/stretto-di-messina-fumo-a-bordo-del-traghetto-villa-san-giovanni-salvati-22-passeggeri-video-e-dettagli/ http://www.strettoweb.com/2019/11/incendio-traghetto-stretto-di-messina-passeggeri-salvati/932182/