US Flagged RoRo Fire Off Isle Of Wight

M/V Courage Fire Damage. Image: UK MCA

A ship’s crew has been tackling a blaze on a transporter carrying cars and US military vehicles.

The UK MCA has reported a fire was reported at 22:00 BST on Tuesday when the US-registered Courage was 40 miles off Harwich.

The vessel is heading to Southampton under the watch of the UK National Maritime Operations Centre.

Specialists from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have since been winched onto the car carrier.

The MCA said the fire had been “contained” by crew members, who used an inbuilt CO2 system to flood a large area to extinguish the blaze. This made areas of the ship inaccessible and the fire crew boarded to ensure it was safe to continue the journey to Southampton.

Courage is currently off the coast of the Isle of Wight.

The owners American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers told the BBC: “A fire started on board and was put out by the ship’s crew.

“We don’t know how much damage has been done to the ship or the cargo. It is carrying a mix of commercial and US military vehicles and was heading for Southampton anyway. It is due to be coming in to Southampton later today where the Hampshire Fire and Rescue assessment team will look at where the CO2 was used to make sure it’s safe for the pilot to get through to take the vessel alongside in Southampton.”

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