Lifeboats dispatched after fire breaks out on passenger ferry in English Channel

The ferry was sailing from Dover to Calais when a fire broke out (Stock picture)
PA Archive
Daniel Keane3 March 2023

Three lifeboats have been launched from the coast of Kent after a fire broke out on a ferry in the English Channel.

The Isle of Innisfree was nearly halfway across the English Channel when a fire broke out on board.

There were 183 people on board the ship - 94 passengers and 89 crew members.

No one was injured during the incident and the fire has been contained, authorities said.

A spokesman for Irish Ferries 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 Coastguard has been informed and despatched 3 RNLI lifeboats as a precautionary measure.

"The vessel is currently safely at anchor, and as the situation is stable, no emergency assistance is expected to be required."

HM Coastguard said it "was alerted just after 17:30 today (3 March) to a fire in the engine room of a ferry that was mid-way from Dover to Calais."

It continued: "The vessel has confirmed that the fire has been extinguished, but it is experiencing technical issues.

"The incident is ongoing."

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