Tirrenia Raffaele Rubattino ferry accidents and incidents

April 2020Boat Rescue

On April 19, 2020, The Corps of the Port Captaincies (Italian Coastguard) announced that a total of 180 migrants (retrieved from 2 boats / rescued at sea) will be quarantined on the cruiseferry off the Sicily Island's coast. Italy refused to accept the migrants due to country's Coronavirus lockdown, thus it was no longer considered "a port of safety".

On April 17, the Italian Coastguard (via the Germany-registered ship ALAN KURDI / IMO number 5285667) rescued a total of 146 migrants. Another 34 migrants were rescued by AITA MARI (Spanish Naval Auxiliary Vessel, IMO number 9248851) on April 19 and also transferred to the Raffaele Rubattino ship. By the time, the ferry was anchored near Port Palermo and additionally staffed with 22 Red Cross volunteers.

Following the 14-day quarantine, the migrants were redistributed among EU countries.

08 November 2011Propulsion / Power Loss

On November 8, 2011, experiencing engines failure, the ship broke down while navigating near Capri Island. It was later towed back to Port Naples for repairs.

29 June 2001Ship Collision / Allision

On June 29, 2001, while maneuvering in Port Naples, the ship violently hit Pier 21, causing considerable damage to the quay.

The accident was the result of a propulsion system/propeller failure.

Note: Actually, this type of marine accident is called “allision” (striking a fixed object) as opposed to “collision” striking another vessel).