Ship Towed After Engine Room Fire

On January 11, 2004, Falmouth Coastguard received a call from the master of the general cargo vessel SEA FOX, reporting that they had had a fire in the engine room and were disabled and drifting in the Lands End Traffic Separation Zone. For the safety of the crew and to guard against any threat of pollution if the vessel drifted ashore, Falmouth Coastguard instructed the Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel “Anglian Princess” to take the SEA FOX under tow to the safety of Falmouth where the damage to the engine room can be assessed. Mike Quinn, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager, said: “The fire had already been extinguished when the vessel called us and we don’t know the cause at this stage, there have been no reports of injuries to any of the nine crew. The SEA FOX, on passage to Riga in Latvia, was disabled in South-westerly force 7 winds and rough seas off Lands End with a forecast of storm force 10 later today. Fortunately the vessel is now under tow from the Anglian Princess and is due in Falmouth at about 6:00pm today.”