Following a series of fires that have broken out in 2025 on container and vehicle transport ships, such as the WAN HAI 503 and MSC ELSA 3 in the Indian Ocean, SOLONG in the North Sea, GRANDE BRASILE in the English Channel, ASL BAUHINIA in the Red Sea and MARIE MAERSK in West Africa, a major issue that concerns global shipping is coming back to the fore.
Concerns are also being identified in the dangerous cargoes that these ships carry.
Commenting on the above, Pavlos Xiradakis, President of the Hellenic Shipowners’ Association of Tugs, Salvage, Antipollution and OSVs, Pavlos Xiradakis, pointed out: “This new reality refutes, in principle, the erroneous impression that oil and gas carriers are by definition the most dangerous ships.
At the same time, it highlights the great need for Greek ports, many of which do not even have a fire-fighting network, to protect themselves against these risks by issuing Towing Regulations that will ensure that towing operations in their ports are carried out by tugs with certified fire-fighting capabilities, capable of successfully dealing with such incidents and protecting human lives, the marine environment, ships and port facilities.”
