Three lifeboats were sent out after a fire broke out on a ferry carrying almost 200 people across the English Channel.
The 163-metre-long Isle of Innisfree, owned by Irish Ferries, was halfway from Dover to Calais when the fire ignited in the engine room this evening.
Emergency services from both sides of the Channel rushed to the middle of the 21-mile stretch to save the 94 passengers and 89 crew.
All are currently on board the vessel, but coastguard officials stress that everyone is safe and accounted for.
The 28,838-tonne vessel set off at around 5pm and was due in Calais at 7pm, according to ship tracker Marine Traffic.
But the blaze erupted half an hour into the journey, with passengers sent to the muster points.
Three RNLI lifeboats from Dover, Ramsgate and Dungeness were launched along with a French tug to the scene.
The crew anchored the ship while firefighters worked to battle the flames.
HM Coastguard confirmed the fire has been extinguished but remains stuck at sea as the boat experiences technical issues.
‘All passengers and crew are accounted for and no injuries have been reported,’ the search and rescue organisation said.
‘The incident is ongoing.’
Live tracking details show the boat is currently at anchor and a French ship called the Abeille Normandie is nearby.
It previously showed the Isle of Innisfree was ‘not under command’, meaning the vessel is intentionally drifting due to an ‘exceptional circumstance’ such as fire, per the International Maritime Organisation.
An Irish Ferries spokesperson said: ‘Irish Ferries can confirm that this evening, the crew on board its ship the Isle of Innisfree were alerted to a small fire in the ship’s engine room while the ship was sailing from Dover to Calais.
‘Irish Ferries crews train regularly to deal with incidents at sea, and the company has put its training into action and the fire has been extinguished.
‘The ship is carrying 94 passengers and 89 crew and all are safe and accounted for. The Coastguard has been informed and is ready to provide assistance if required.
‘The vessel is currently safely at anchor while the incident is being dealt with.”
‘Passengers booked on the 7.25pm Calais to Dover sailing will be transferred to alternative sailings.
‘Irish Ferries would like to sincerely apologise to all its passengers for the disruption to their journeys.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
from News – Metro https://ift.tt/VSuB4WQ
0 Comments