According to the Times of Malta, the director of the Japanese movie (which re-created a century-old battle) had allowed the explosions to go on too long. The fire engulfed the wooden ship built for the film, and additional damage to equipment was still to be evaluated. The set was planned to be dismantled after filming the scene.

The film for Japanese TV station NHK (www.nhk.or.jp) had a three-week shoot in Malta and a budget of €2 million. No one was injured in the fire, which was the final shot of the film.