Probe launched into blaze on board Rosyth freight ferry

Marine board will look into the engine failure and fire on board vessel when one crew member was injured and airlifted to hospital

A probe has been launched into the fire which scuppered the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry.

The Marine Accident Investigations Board (MAIB) will look into the engine failure and subsequent fire on board the Finlandia last month.

One crew member had to be airlifted off the ferry after being injured in the blaze which started at around 10pm on Monday April 16.

Suffering from smoke inhalation, and with reported injuries to his lungs and eyes, the crew member was airlifted to hospital by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service.

The Finlandia was nearing the mouth of the River Humber, en route from Fife to Belgium, when the incident happened. There was substantial damage to the engine room.

The fire on board one of DFDS’s freight ships, which ploughed the route between the Fife port and mainland Europe, killed off the service.

The fire ensured the ship would have been out of commission for months and a search for a replacement proved fruitless so DFDS decided the Rosyth service, which had been running since 2002, would close.

In a statement, the MAIB said: “Following a review of evidence, the decision has been made to investigate the engine failure and subsequent fire on board the Lithuanian-registered ro-ro cargo vessel, Finlandia Seaways, 11 miles east of Lowestoft, England, on 16 April 2018.”

At the time Kell Robdrup, senior vicepresident of DFDS’s route connecting to the southern part of the North Sea, said the loss of the ship would have brought about further losses on the route.

He said: “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,” he said.

Apologising to customers, he said that in tandem with the Scottish Government and port, the firm had “tried everything in our power” to save the route.

“It means that we have lost all hope of being able to turn around the route’s loss-making situation