Fire Breaks Out on Ferry Near Mykonos; 29 Evacuated Safely

The incident highlights ongoing maritime safety questions in Aegean commercial shipping routes, where vessel cargo loads and crew size relative to passenger numbers are governed by EU maritime...

A fire broke out aboard the cargo ferry Blue Carrier 2 in the Aegean Sea near the Greek island of Mykonos at 8:57 a.m. Local time on Friday, September 25, 2026, prompting the evacuation of all 29 people aboard, according to La Nacion. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

The vessel was carrying 166 trucks and 29 automobiles at the time the fire ignited in the interior of the ship, according to the same report. The Blue Carrier 2 was a cargo-oriented roll-on/roll-off ferry, a class of vessel designed to transport wheeled cargo that drives on and off the ship under its own power.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of the time of reporting, according to La Nacion. What would clarify the origin is the conclusion of the official inquiry by Greek maritime and fire authorities, which had not issued a public statement by the time of publication.

The 28 crew members and one additional person aboard were successfully evacuated, La Nacion reported. The rapid evacuation without casualties indicates that emergency protocols were executed before the fire could spread to threaten those on board.

Mykonos is located in the central Cyclades island group in the southern Aegean Sea. The waters around Mykonos are among the most heavily trafficked ferry corridors in Greece, connecting the Greek mainland port of Piraeus with dozens of island destinations, particularly during the summer and early autumn tourist season.

Roll-on/roll-off ferries carrying large quantities of vehicles present particular fire risk because fuel and flammable materials in stored vehicles can accelerate the spread of a fire once ignited. The International Maritime Organization has issued guidance on fire suppression systems for vehicle decks on such vessels, though specific compliance status of the Blue Carrier 2 had not been publicly stated by Greek authorities as of publication.

Greece's ferry network is one of the largest and most complex in Europe, connecting over 400 inhabited islands with the mainland. The Hellenic Coast Guard maintains responsibility for maritime safety and emergency response within Greek territorial waters and is the primary authority conducting the investigation, though no formal statement from that body had been published by the time this article was filed.

Ferry fires in the Aegean have occurred periodically over recent decades. The most widely documented prior incident was the fire aboard the Express Samina in 2000, which resulted in 80 deaths after the vessel struck rocks near Paros. That disaster prompted Greek authorities to tighten ferry safety inspections and retire older vessels that did not meet updated EU standards.

The Blue Carrier 2 incident differs substantially from that precedent in terms of outcome. The absence of casualties in Friday's event suggests that fire detection and evacuation procedures functioned as intended, though the full investigation will be required to assess whether equipment or operational factors contributed to the fire's origin.

Authorities had not released information on the ship's owner or operator, its port of origin, or its intended destination as of publication. Those details, along with the fire investigation findings, would provide a fuller picture of the circumstances surrounding the incident.