After a fire on Monday afternoon, the situation on the passenger ferry “Stena Scandica” off the Swedish coast is developing more dramatically than initially expected. The fire caused a power outage, a spokeswoman said. The ferry is now slowly drifting towards the island of Gotland in strong winds off the Swedish coast.
That is why attempts are now being made to bring families with children and the elderly off board with the help of helicopters. Initially, there were around 70 people. Of the 299 people on the ferry, 241 were passengers, the shipping authority wrote in a press release.
A tugboat to bring the ship to the port of Nynäshamn south of Stockholm is on its way, the spokeswoman said. “Hopefully he will be there in time. But there is a small risk that the ferry will run aground before then.”
A fire broke out in a refrigerated container on the car deck of the passenger ferry in the afternoon. However, the crew was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reports of injuries. In the event of an evacuation, pilot boats and helicopters were sent in the direction of the ferry. A cargo ship and another passenger ferry had also responded to the emergency call.
The ferry was near the small Swedish island of Gotska Sandön when the fire broke out. She was on her way from Ventspils in Latvia to Nynäshamn.