A car carrier owned by Grimaldi Euromed lost power due to a fire in the engine room.

The said the Grande Roma, built in 2003, was sailing through the English Channel at about 10 p.m. local time on Oct. 25 the fire broke out in the engine room.

The crew of the Italian-flagged vessel, which can carry 5,379 car units, released carbon dioxide the engine room and began cooling the bulkheads.

The master reported that the accident had no personal or pollution consequences, but he requested the owners’ emergency group to contact the tugboats as the vessel was without power.

The company, controlled by Emanuele Grimaldi, chartered the tug Abeille Liberté, which completed connection of the tow cable around 9.36 a.m. on Oct. 26, and it is expected to arrive at the port of Le Havre on. 27. The owners also arranged all the necessary assistance for the crew, the vessel, and the cargo.

The latest AIS data shows that the Grande Roma lost control and is heading to the port of Le Havre. It is currently located in the bay of Seine, north of Caen. The car carrier had sailed from Antp on Oct. 24 and was heading to Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates.

Grimaldi has been pursuing a fleet modernization plan. company is building larger car carriers in China that are adaptable to ammonia fuel, while other vessels are being built for its fleet of containerships and passenger ferries.

This is the second fire incident involving the company in the English Channel in 2025. In February, one of its ro-ro vessels, the Grande Brasile reported a fire. Initially, the crew thought they had brought the fire under control, but a few hours later a second fire source was discovered on one of the car decks. The then abandoned the ship, which was later towed to Belgium. In April 2025, the ship was sold for scrap