A fire ignited in the engine room of the Tirrenia ferry ‘Raffaele Rubattino’ this evening northwest of the island of Capri, approximately 15 miles from the port of Naples. The vessel, which departed Palermo this morning carrying passengers and vehicles, is currently adrift. Two tugboats have departed Naples to tow it to port.
The captain issued a mayday distress call via radio. Rescue operations, coordinated by the Naples Port Authority (Capitaneria di Porto), are underway, with two patrol boats dispatched to the scene. The flames are reportedly under control, and no injuries have been reported among the 155 passengers and crew, a fact confirmed by the ship’s operating company. The ferry’s engines sustained damage.
The Port Authority requested nearby vessels approach the ‘Raffaele Rubattino’ to offer potential assistance. Meanwhile, another ferry, the GNV Auriga, also originating from Palermo, arrived near the drifting vessel. Its captain stated that passenger evacuation is not necessary.