After a dramatic evening and several hours of travel, the ferry Stena Scandica – which caught fire on Monday (krone.at reports) – has arrived safely in the port of Nynäshamn in Sweden. Swedish television showed how two tugboats helped the ship enter the harbor on Tuesday morning (photo above).
On the ferry with 299 people on board – including 241 passengers – en route from Ventspils in Latvia to Sweden, a fire broke out in a refrigerated container on the car deck of the ferry.
Temporarily unable to maneuver after power outage
The fire was quickly extinguished, but caused a power outage, causing the ship to drift towards the Swedish island of Gotland in the evening with strong winds. A race against time began. Rescuers first disembarked families with children and the elderly in helicopters.
“You can explain that to the adults, but with the sometimes very small children it was a bit more difficult,” rescue worker John Jonsson told the Swedish daily Expressen. In high winds, the children were pulled into the helicopter in a kind of bag. “We always sent an adult first and then the child, so there was someone to catch them and reassure them.”
“Rescuers did the best job”
About 30 people were dropped off on the Gotland ferry M/S Visby, which had come to the rescue of the ship. In the course of the night the ferry arrived with the tired but also relieved passengers at the port of Visby on the island. “It was a very rough day,” Viesturs Zirins, a Latvian passenger who had been on the Stena Scandica, told Swedish radio. “But the rescuers did the best job.”
Shortly off the coast of Goland, the crew managed to avert danger and got two engines running. The evacuation was halted at nightfall. The ferry then departed at a slow pace for its destination late Monday evening, accompanied by a tugboat, the Coast Guard and a rescue vessel.
Authorities are investigating how the fire started
On Tuesday morning, the approximately 270 people on board had solid ground under their feet again. Authorities now want to investigate how the fire on the ferry, which was built in 2005, could have started. You also have to assess whether and when the ferry can sail again.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
