The services of a freighter were suspended following a fire that erupted onboard the vessel.
What happened?
The ferry operator DFDS axed its freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge in Belgium following a fire on one of its ships.
On April 16, the fire broke out on its ro-ro freight ship ‘Finlandia Seaways’ and one crew member was injured in the blaze. He was airlifted to hospital where he is being treated for injuries caused by smoke inhalation.
The ship was towed to Immingham, Lincolnshire, where the cargo was removed and an inspection was carried out.
The ferry is out of action following a blaze that erupted in an engine room and company was unable to find a suitable replacement.
The company has said that the ferry has been a loss-making route and it said it had now “lost all hope” of reversing its fortunes.
Engine room damaged
DFDS said in a statement Kell Robdrup, of DFDS, said; “The inspection revealed substantial damage to the ship’s engine room, and we estimate that it will be out of service for several months for repairs. Furthermore, our search for a replacement vessel was fruitless and revealed that there are no suitable ships available”.
He further added, “Unfortunately, this will bring about further losses on the route, and it means that we have lost all hope of being able to turn around the route’s loss-making situation. Therefore, we have no alternative but to close the route as we undoubtedly will lose clients who will be forced to seek alternative solutions for their transport”.
Route suspended
The company said they are suspending the route due to unavailability of finding no alternatives.
The Scottish government said, “Humza Yousaf, the transport secretary, would seek to hold urgent discussions with the company following the announcement”.
A spokesman added that the minister wanted to fully understand the situation and “explore all options for the route”.
The freight service between Rosyth and Zeebrugge has been operating since 2002. Charles Hammond, group chief executive of Forth Ports, which operates the Port of Rosyth, said they were “very disappointed” by the closure.
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Source: BBC
