Six lorries were destroyed and about a dozen others damaged early yesterday in a fire which broke out on a P & O European Ferries ship sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg.
The fire, which started in a lorry on the main vehicle deck of the vessel, the Panther, was noticed at midnight on Tuesday when the ship was about 35 miles south-east of Rosslare. The crew managed to extinguish the fire and the ship returned to Rosslare at 3 a.m. yesterday. The fire caused extensive damage to the vessel.
None of the crew of 27, or the 25 lorry drivers on board, was injured. P & O said that the vessel would remain out of service for a number of days subject to further investigation of the damage. A replacement ship would be put into operation as soon as possible.
An engineer from the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources travelled to Rosslare yesterday to assess the seaworthiness of the vessel.