Like most large container ships, MSC Flaminia is powered by a single low-speed two-stroke crosshead diesel engine coupled to a fixed-pitch propeller.

[6] DS Crown, a German-owned, Bahamas-flagged oil tanker en route from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom,[5] was the first to arrive at the scene and rescue 22 crew members and two passengers from a lifeboat and a liferaft.

[3][6][7] On 8 October, another seriously injured crew member of MSC Flaminia died in a specialist hospital for burn wounds in Portugal.

According to the first reports, the fire was still burning in holds 4, 5 and 6, and the ship had developed a list of about 8.5 degrees as a result of the firefighting operations, but the engine room, superstructure and aftship were not seriously damaged.

On 20 July, Fairmount Expedition began to tow MSC Flaminia towards Europe while Anglian Sovereign, another salvage tug with specialized firefighting equipment, continued to cool down the fire.

On 13 August, the salvage efforts restarted but, as no European country had given the ship a permission to enter its coastal waters, MSC Flaminia remained at her waiting position approximately 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) offshore.

In addition to extinguishing individual containers, the salvage crew had pumped water from the cargo holds to stabilize the vessel, reducing the list to around 2.5 degrees.

After the ship had been towed to a sheltered anchorage off Land's End, a team of experts entered the vessel and identified the possible hazards on board.

After the ship had been deemed safe, she was allowed to pass through the English Channel and proceed to Heligoland and later to JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where she arrived on 9 September 2012.

[3][5][15] Furthermore, the reluctance of any country to give permission for the ship to enter its coastal areas raised concerns about the vessel sinking or being intentionally scuttled in deep water.