Wightlink have confirmed that their Yarmouth to Lymington service will remain suspended until at least Sunday afternoon following this morning’s engine fire on board Wight Sky.
As first reported by Island Echo, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service were mobilised to the cross-Solent operator’s Lymington terminal at around 07:00 when a fire broke out in the engine room of one of the passenger ferries.
Thankfully, no persons were injured in the incident and all passengers, staff and vehicles disembarked safely. However, the fire has brought about significant disruption for thousands of people on both sides of the Solent.
A spokesperson for the operator has this afternoon said:
“There was an engine fire on board Wightlink’s 06:25 service from Yarmouth to Lymington this morning. The ferry, Wight Sky, had nine crew and 43 passengers on board. There were no injuries. The 17 vehicles on board the sailing disembarked at Lymington.
“Immediately after the alarm was raised on Wight Sky on arrival at Lymington, the Master activated the ship’s fire suppressant service which was effective.
“Wightlink has suspended the service between Lymington and Yarmouth but plans to resume sailings on the route on Sunday afternoon, subject to an inspection visit by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
“All customers scheduled to travel on the route today and tomorrow have been notified and rebooked on Wightlink’s Portsmouth-Fishbourne service.
Article continues below this advertisement “The engine affected by the fire was brand new and installed on Wight Sky during refit this autumn by the manufacturers’ agent. Up until this morning, it had been in operation for 390 hours”.
The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch have confirmed they are conducting an investigation into the incident. It is the third fire on board Wight Sky in the past 15 months, the second of which is still subject to an ongoing MAIB investigation.
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