On 28th December, the same day as the blaze aboard the Norman Atlantic broke out, two people drowned and four were missing at sea and feared dead after two merchant ships collided in rough seas off the Italian coast, one mile from the port of Ravenna.

The 2,126gt/2011 built Turkish ship Gokbel with 11 crew members sank after the collision with the 3,828gt/1991 built Belize flagged Lady Aziza, in poor visibility. Five members of the Turkish ship were rescued and there were no casualties among the crew of the other ship.