The ro-ro ship “Eco Valencia” breaks free and damages two mussel rafts in the port of Valencia

The ro-ro ship “Eco Valencia” (IMO 9859533), registered in Italy and owned by the Grimaldi Group, was involved in an incident at the port of Valencia when it broke free from its moorings due to strong winds and collided with two rafts dedicated to mussel farming. One of them was completely sunk and the other suffered significant damage and was left tilted.

The incident occurred last July when the ship, measuring 238 meters in length and over 67,000 gross tons, was docked at the East Dike dock of the aforementioned port. According to the Valencia Port Authority, a gust of wind exceeding 55 knots, sudden and unanticipated, caused the breakage of its moorings.

The ship was temporarily adrift within the East Dock, necessitating the intervention of pilotage, towing, and mooring services to regain control of the vessel. The consequences were suffered by two of the traditional mussel rafts in the port.

The raft “Polit”, known as the “three masts” for being the last of its kind still active in the Valencia port, was destroyed and sunk. According to the Valencia Mussel Producers Association, at the time of the accident, it had around 16,000 kilos of mussels ready for commercialization.

The second affected raft, named “Concha”, was tilted and suffered damage to part of its structure, significantly limiting its working capacity. It is estimated to have contained about 8,000 kilos of product.

Producers warn that the losses could be even greater. If the facilities are not repaired or replaced quickly, the two owning families could lose nearly all of their production for the season, which can reach about 60 tons per raft.

The Mussel Producers Association estimates that removing the sunken remains could cost around 60,000 euros, while building a new raft would require an investment of between 170,000 and 200,000 euros, approximately.

As of today, producers have demanded that the shipping company and its insurance company take responsibility for the damages and the removal of the sunken raft. According to various media outlets in the Turia capital, representatives from the insurance have already arrived in the area to assess the consequences of the accident.

For its part, Grimaldi has expressed regret over the incident and stated that it is gathering information about the incident and remains available to the parties involved.

Photo: Grimaldi Lines