A DFDS cargo ship remains in Portsmouth Harbour after suffering an engine room fire while heading to the English port last week.
Tugs and a pilot boat helped to bring the damaged Caesarea Trader in following the incident, which saw the vessel temporarily anchored off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said that he was “thankful that no one was injured” and praised DFDS for quickly implementing contingency plans to ensure minimal impact on Jersey’s lifeline supply chain.
This included an additional freight-only sailing with the Danish shipping firm’s Stena Vinga vessel and the deployment of back-up cargo ship MV Arrow.
At the time of writing, Caesarea Trader remained in Portsmouth harbour.
DFDS, which had previously stated the vessel would be subject to “further assessment”, was approached for comment but did not respond by the time of going to print.
In a statement, Portsmouth’s harbour master Ben McInnes said: “Alongside our partners at Boluda, Serco, Williams and the King’s Harbour Master, we supported the ship, its crew and sole passenger, providing support where possible.”
He continued: “We sent tugs and a pilot boat while the incident was ongoing, which were ready to assist if needed, and provided tugs and a pilot to tow the ship into the harbour.
“We’re now accommodating the ship while it is made safe, and will offer assistance to offload cargo, in line with our business as usual operations.”
