MARIA GRAZIA ONORATO

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Robbed pilot boat in collision with ferry

A Dutch man has robbed a pilot boat and collided with the 'Maria Grazia Onorato' in the early morning of Oct 20, 2021, off the port of Livorno. The 54-year-old Dutch citizen, for reasons still unknown, stole a pilot boat moored at the pilot station. A group of pilots was returning after a service when they realized that one of their boats was in the open sea with a stranger on board. The pursuit immediately started, during which the pilot boat hit the "Maria Grazia Onorato", which was sailing from Livorno to Cagliari. The pilot boat suffered a leak in the bow. The man, apparently in a state of alteration due to alcohol, continued his escape until the vessel stopped, and it was at that point that he set it on fire. A crew from the naval section of the fire brigade was also passing through the area and, seeing the flames, immediately did their best to put out the fire. The man was blocked, while the pilot boat was taken in tow by a boat of the harbour master and towed to the port, where police patrols and an ambulance were waiting for the man.