A multi agency response was mounted following the break-out of a fire on the Stena Line ferry Stena Europe while she was off the coast of Pembrokeshire on 11 February 2023.
Following the fire, Stena Europe was kept at Fishguard for a couple of days before, on 14 February, she headed north to Liverpool at just over 12 knots, and was taken to Birkenhead for repair work.
The 1981-built vessel was taken to dry dock for repairs and alongside scheduled maintenance, but no date has been given by Stena Line for her return to Fishguard and Rosslare.
However, no sailings from the port are available on the company’s online booking system until 1 March. Passengers booked with Stena were transferred to Irish Ferries Pembroke-Rosslare route.
The crippled ferry was aided into Fishguard Harbour by two tug boats following the report of the fire.
A Sikorsky S-92A coastguard rescue helicopter was scrambled from The Lake District, and spent a considerable time hovering over the vessel as she was brought into port.
RNLI lifeboats from St Davids and New Quay were also launched to help with the emergency.
Twenty emergency vehicles, including fire tenders and ambulances were counted at the scene by around 1100, and firefighters, from the quayside, sprayed water down one of the funnels of the ferry as ambulances stood by.
The 88 passengers were told to be prepared to man the lifeboats, and were issued with lifejackets as a precautionary measure, but all disembarked safely after the vessel docked as the 1980-built vessel which can carry 1,500 passengers managed to get to the port before an evacuation was needed.
