Fire aboard new Smyril Line ship expected to cause delays

Delays are expected after a fire broke out in the engine room of Smyril Line’s new cargo ship Skipanes, KVF reports. The ship was sailing from China to the Faroe Islands and was between Taiwan and China when the fire started.

Smyril Line chief executive Jens Meinhard Rasmussen said the fire was extinguished immediately. None of the 23 crew members was injured, and everyone is well. The damage is limited to the ship itself.

Skipanes was delivered to Smyril Line on 25 August and was heading home to the Faroe Islands. It will now sail to the nearest port, where authorities and the insurance company will investigate what happened and assess the extent of the damage.

“We cannot say anything about the cause until the authorities have inspected the ship and established it,” Rasmussen said. A repair plan will then be prepared.

The company cannot yet say how long the delays will last or when Skipanes can resume its journey to the Faroe Islands.