ARNARFELL

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Engine room fire contained

A fire broke out in the engine room of the "Arnarfell" in the evening of Jan 5, 2016, enroute from Vestmannaeyjar on the south coast of Iceland to Immingham, about 50 miles off the British port, while the ship was battling rough seas 11 miles north-east of Scarborough. The RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) had already been at sea on exercise for an hour and had to return to base for a fresh crew before setting off at about 6.30 p.m. The ALB took about an hour to plough through big waves en route to the "Arnarfell", in frequent rain which created poor visibility. The lifeboat stood by for an hour and a half while the "Arnarfell"’s fire crew fought the blaze, in case the crew needed evacuating. At 9.13 p.m., the "Arnarfell"’s status was recorded as restricted manoeuvrability while it continued its journey south. The crew members managed to tackle the fire, and the lifeboat returned to its station at 10 p.m. The cargo ship reached the port on Jan 6 at 4.50 a.m. with own power. Damage tothe engine room of the ship was to be assessed after the arrival in Immingham in the morning.