Eco-Napoli

When two North Africans attempted to escape from the roro ferry 'Stena Shipper' (IMO: (IMO 9503639) on Oct 30, 2025, at 1,30 p.m. one was thought to have been sucked into the propeller of the 'Eco Napoli', while the search for the second continued in the port of Livorno. The young men, probably Tunisian nationsls, jumped into the sea. The ferry was scheduled for a standard inspection by the Maritime Border Police (Polmare). While the ship was being inspected after its arrival at 7 a.m., the two men were discovered in a container. They had no identifying papers and claimed to be Moroccan, but the police believed they were likely Tunisian. In cases where stowaways are discovered on a ship, the normal procedure is to detain them and place them in the custody of the ship, which must return them to the point of origin. The captain of the 'Stena Shipper' locked the two men in a cabin. While the crew was distracted, the men forced the lock on the door and were seen jumping overboard into the sea, between the Zara crossing and the Bengasi dock. One of them was sucked into the propeller of the Grimaldi ferry, which was in transit at the time. Rescue operations were immediately launched and coordinated by the Port Authority, with the intervention of patrol boats, divers, firefighters, and the Guardia di Finanza, under the supervision of the Prefecture. The search was hampered by adverse weather conditions and low water temperatures. Naval transit was halted meanwhile, with the 'MSC Agadir' getting stuck in port and the 'Eco Napoli' ordered to make a detour instead of entering the port. The operations were rendered difficult in part because the waters of the port were muddy and filled with detritus due to heavy rain that had hit the city in the days before and the depth of over 15 meters, pushing toward the breakwater. One body was recovered in the afternoon, the other remained missing. At the same time, the Maritime Border Police and the Port Authority have opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the escape and verify whether all safety measures required for passengers in custody were taken on board.