New Photos Reveal Damage to Fire Scorched MV Fernanda Off Iceland

Image courtesy Icelandic Coast Guard

New pictures released Monday by the Icelandic Coast Guard provide some more insight into damage caused by an engine room fire onboard the MV Fernanda off the coast of Iceland.

The Icelandic Coast Guard on Monday said that coast guard and firefighting crews were able to board the vessel today and have confirmed that the fire has been put out.

The fire broke out in the engine room of the Ro/Ro cargo ship last Wednesday, October 3o. All eleven crewmembers of the Fernanda were airlifted to safety shortly after the fire broke out.

Photos of the vessel show fire and smoke damage from the Fernanda’s stern, all the way past the vessel’s superstructure and into the forward section of the ship.

Fighting the fire was the Coast Guard patrol vessel Thor, which at one point towed the smoldering vessel into port only to have the fire flare up again. The vessel was then towed, again by the Thor, out to sea to an area of Faxafloi bay that would allow for continued firefighting and to minimize the environmental impact if the ship were to sink.

Firefighting crews made good progress over the weekend and initially reported that the fire had been extinguished Sunday just as weather in the area began to pick up.

The Icelandic Coast Guard now says that the MV Fernanda will seek shelter from the prevailing winds close to Iceland’s coast and further evaluations will continue Tuesday amongst all concerned parties.

The 75-meter MV Fernanda is registered in the Dominican Republic Dominica and was built in 1981, according to the Icelandic Coast Guard.

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