The Ro-Ro vessel was engulfed in flames in adverse weather conditions and for a few minutes it seemed that control would be lost. The immediate reaction of the crew, however, prevented a dangerous collision with the coast.
A fire broke out in the engine room of the Ro-Ro ship “Finnwave”, causing it to suffer a blackout and become adrift off the coast of the United Kingdom. The ship was approximately 12 nautical miles from Eastbourne and no injuries were reported among the crew members.
The ship issued a distress signal around 5:00 a.m. local time, reporting a fire in the engine room. Immediately, the Eastbourne station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) dispatched a rescue boat, while winds of force 5 Beaufort were blowing in the area and the sea was moderate.
According to the RNLI, the crew of the Finnwave managed to successfully extinguish the fire, but was unable to repair the damage to the main engine. As the ship was adrift and being swept towards land, the captain decided to drop anchor to maintain its position.
The Eastbourne lifeboat remained on standby as the ship dropped anchor, a process that took over an hour due to the bad weather conditions. Once completed, the UK Coast Guard ordered the lifeboat to return to its base. No marine pollution or further damage was reported, while an investigation into the causes of the incident is expected.
Those of us who travel know that a fire on a ship is one of the worst incidents that can happen and it is often difficult to extinguish if the crew does not act immediately to prevent its spread. If the ship is near land in bad weather conditions, the situation can become even more dangerous. In this particular case, the immediate and correct reaction of the crew appears to have prevented the worst.
