Corsica-Express-3

The 'Corsica Express 3' leaves the BluNavy fleet, with the ownership being expected to change hands this week, to the Cypriot company Pikessea Shipping Ltd. A few months after being transferred from Corsica Ferries to BluNavy (BN di Navigazione), the fast ferry is preparing to set sail for Greece. The sale price has not yet been disclosed, but in recent months the fast ferry was purchased for approximately €3 million by BN di Navigazione, just months after the finalization of the agreement that saw Blu Navy acquire the Elba Ferries brand and slots from Corsica Ferries. In the recent past, the ferry has been operated between Piombino and Portoferraio and between Piombino and Bastia.

Short time after the 'Corsica Express 3' had left the port of Piombino en route to Elba on Aug 20, 2024, at around 3:15 p.m., a fire broke out in the engine room of the ferry. The ship was about half an hour into the voyage and returned to port due to the presence of smoke in the engine room. The ship berthed at pier 2 where the emergency plan was activated. Three fire trucks and three ambulances, one of which was medicalized, arrived on site. The 293 people on board – 276 passengers and 17 crew members, got off the ship using emergency slides. The firefighters from Livorno and Grosseto intervened on site with three teams, five trucks, personnel from the Livorno and Grosseto diving units and with the Drago helicopter from the Cecina VF flight department. There were no serious injuries among the passengers. One man had a panic attack and another suffered minor abrasions while going down the slide. Both refused hospitalization. A woman suffered a burn from rubbing on the slide and was taken to the emergency room of the Piombino hospital. At 5:45 p.m., the fire was under control, and the passenger evacuation operations were completed. Some crew members remained on board to assist. It was not yet possible to open the ship's hatch as the mechanism, due to the fire, was out of order. An external generator would be needed. In the meantime, in the engine room, lighting was being prepared with smaller generators to assess the damage. The risk, however, was that once the hatch is opened, the oxygen could reignite the flames. It was difficult for the firefighters to carry out an inspection as the temperature inside was 50 degrees. The inspection will presumably not be carried out before late at night or in the next few days. Repprt with photos and video: https://www.iltirreno.it/piombino/cronaca/2024/08/20/news/piombino-fumo-nella-sala-macchine-del-traghetto-la-nave-torna-in-porto-1.100571340