UK Coastguard coordinating incident involving fire on car carrier in the English Channel
National Maritime Operations Centre Copyright Geoff Lee/Fishing News |
The vessel’s fixed
firefighting systems were used to attack the fire and the cargo space has been
sealed. The ship’s crew continue to monitor the cargo area.
The ship has full
manoeuvrability and has turned back towards Southampton, where it is planned to
anchor to the South East of the Isle of Wight.
UK Coastguard is
monitoring the situation closely and the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has
been notified of the incident. A Fire and Rescue Marine Response team is
to be airlifted on board the vessel by the UK Coastguard search and rescue
helicopter based at Lee on Solent to further investigate the fire damage and
determine whether or not it is safe for the vessel to return to Southampton
Port. In addition, a pilot from Southampton Port and a MCA Marine
Casualty Officer will be sent to the vessel to assist the assessment process
prior to the vessel being allowed to return to Southampton.
Andy Jenkins,
Commander for the UK Coastguard said: ‘The 21 crew are still on board the
vessel and they are safe and well. We will continue to monitor the
situation and provide updates as it develops.’