Over a thousand passengers experienced disruption overnight, once again experiencing disruptions on board GNV ships on the Genoa-Porto Torres route.
The Excelsior ferry, which was due to leave the Ligurian port at 7:00 PM on Thursday evening, departed shortly before 2:00 AM, after hours of waiting in the Genoa port area, with endless lines of cars, people under severe stress from the high temperatures, and no way to buy a bottle of water due to the lack of facilities.
Some passengers requested the intervention of the police, who arrived on site along with the Genoa Coast Guard who boarded to carry out an inspection. It is believed that the cause was a technical problem in the engine room, a malfunction of the engines that were repaired after several hours of work by technicians.
"The departure times kept being postponed, first to 9:00 PM, then not even to midnight, then the announcement was made at 1:30 AM," explain workers, tourists, and Sardinians. The 1,080 passengers disembarked at the western pier in the commercial port of Porto Torres at 1:40 PM, tired, exhausted, and filled with anger. A five-hour delay, amid uncertainty about the actual departure and no explanation for the cause of the engine room failure.
Yet another technical problem on Grandi Navi Veloci's ferries. "We don't yet know the cause of the delay, but what infuriates us is the poor management of the emergency," explains Carla Muscau, who disembarked in Porto Torres with her husband and three young children. "We arrived at the port of Genoa at 5:00 AM on Thursday, July 16th, scheduled to depart at 7:00 PM, but the departure was postponed to 9:00 PM, and after that, no communication was received," she continues. On board, the staff offered breakfast and lunch the next morning, but no one has explained with certainty what technical problems caused the delay. This is another sour note after the incident on the evening of June 19th, when a fire broke out in the engine room of the GNV Azzurra, causing two of its four engines to fail. The ship, off the coast of Corsica, did not arrive in Genoa, but was towed by tugboats to the port of Porto Torres.
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We received a press release from the company, which we publish in full.
GNV expresses its regret for the inconvenience suffered by passengers on the Excelsior ship, operating on the Genoa–Porto Torres route, due to the delayed departure.
The delay was necessary to allow for the pre-departure technical checks and checks required by the competent authorities to be carried out, in order to guarantee the vessel's full safety before departure."
Passengers were informed in advance on several occasions of the possible delay in departure time. While waiting in port, consistent with the technical activities carried out on board and the operational maneuvers necessary to allow for inspections of the vessel, GNV distributed water to passengers in the boarding area.
Once departure authorization was obtained, GNV promptly proceeded with boarding operations, ensuring passengers received the necessary assistance on board and providing free meals and refreshments during the journey, including dinner, water, and drinks, as well as breakfast and lunch the following day.
The safety of passengers and crew is a top priority for GNV, and all operational decisions are made in compliance with established procedures and in coordination with the relevant authorities. The Company once again apologizes to passengers for the inconvenience they have experienced and thanks everyone who collaborated during the management of the event.
In accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 1177/2010, eligible passengers will be granted the financial compensation envisaged for the delay experienced in the arrival of the ship.
