Grande Brasile

On February 18, 2025, the Grande Brasile, a Grimaldi vessel en route from Belgium to France, caught fire approximately 15 nautical miles off the coast of Ramsgate, England. The incident caused significant cargo damage and prompted an international emergency response, with rescue teams from France, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Koole, known for its role in the Fremantle Highway cleanup, was tasked with removing and processing the cargo. The ship carried around 1,400 vehicles, including many Red Cross jeeps. Of these, 472 were severely burned and scrapped. The rest sustained minimal or no damage.

Lightly damaged vehicles were cleaned with high-pressure washers and a mobile car wash before being offloaded. Undamaged cars from lower decks were unaffected and driven directly to the terminal. Burned wrecks from decks 6 to 12 were removed using heavy equipment and transferred to a barge for disposal.

Once all vehicles were offloaded, Koole cleaned the cargo decks. The vessel was then cleared for its final voyage to Turkey for dismantling.