As of: March 9, 2024, 3:11 p.m
By: Johannes Welte
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A ferry almost capsized in a storm off the island of Ischia. © mariapentagallo0/TikTok
A serious shipping accident almost occurred off the holiday island of Ischia: two chained trucks in a ferry came loose during a storm. The ship almost capsized.
Ischia – The holiday island of Ischia in the south of Italy is not only famous for its idyllic beaches and unique nature, it has been used for spa treatments since ancient times because of its hot springs.
The mineral-rich hot springs are said to help especially with sciatica symptoms (hence the name).
To supply the island there is a constant ferry service with the nearest mainland port, Pozzuoli.
Near-catastrophe off an Italian holiday island: trucks demolish cars on the island ferry
A ferry trip from Pozzuoli on the
Benito Buono
almost ended in disaster on Wednesday.
The ship left Pozzuoli at 3 p.m.
The destination was the ferry port of Casamicciola on Ischia.
There were heavy seas.
The ship was constantly alternating between starboard and port in the waves.
To ensure that the loaded vehicles do not slip in this case, which would be disastrous for the statics of the ship, trucks are chained.
But shortly before Casamicciola, two trucks loaded with heavy building materials got loose.
The trucks broke through the safety anchors, one slid onto the other, crushing two cars on board.
The trucks tipped over one another and their load fell on, among other things, a Carabineri Fiat Punto.
The shifting of the load changed the ferry's center of gravity in the direction in which it was already tipping.
However, the captain was able to prevent the boat from capsizing.
Mayor rages after ferry accident near Ischia: “It’s unbelievable”
The ship was able to head for the port of Casamicciola, but unloading was difficult.
The port had to be closed and the ship was also damaged.
The island's mayor, Giosi Ferrandino, is furious because the transport of building materials is forbidden for good reason; they have to be transported on a freight ship.
“It's unbelievable, regulations are being ignored just to quickly transport a few building materials back and forth.” Now the only connection to the mainland is interrupted.
Ferrandino promises: “In the next few hours I will send a communication to the prefecture and the police to initiate appropriate controls on sea and land transport.”
Almost at the same time, a ferry ran aground in the port of Pozzuoli.
The culprit here was the low water level caused by the supervolcano by constantly raising the ground.