Fire Accident (Engine room fire) on the Stena Superfast VII ferry on 19th July 2023

Introduction

On 19/07/2023, a fire incident occurred onboard a ferry stationed at Victoria Terminal in Belfast Harbour, Northern Ireland. The fire, which originated in the emergency/backup generator room, was rapidly controlled by the crew. Thankfully, no passengers were on the ship at the time, and there were no reported crew injuries.

Details of the Incident

Stena Line, the ferry operator, verified that a fire broke out in the ferry’s emergency/backup generator room. Quick response from the ship’s crew ensured that the fire was minor and promptly extinguished. Despite there being no reported injuries, as a standard safety procedure, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) was informed about the incident. They dispatched an emergency crew, two paramedics, and a Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene for potential support.

Operational Impact

Due to the fire incident, there were adjustments made to the ferry’s schedule for the day. Specifically, the 11:30 hrs crossing from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland was canceled. The subsequent schedule for the remainder of the day underwent revisions to accommodate passengers.

Mitigation and Passenger Support

Passengers who had bookings for the affected journey experienced an approximate delay of 4 hours for the subsequent crossing. As a gesture of goodwill and to alleviate the inconvenience, Stena Line issued food vouchers to all affected passengers.