Crew 'Safe & Well' After Ship Fire
A Fire and Rescue Marine Response team was airlifted on board of the US car carrier, MV Honor, which caught fire in the English Channel after leaving Southampton headed for the USA at about 3.45am on Friday.
The American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Shipping (ARC) vehicle carrier was en route to Baltimore, in the state of Maryland, USA from Southampton. 21 crew are on board.
The vessel caught fire on cargo deck shortly after leaving Southampton in UK on 50 nautical miles northwest of Cherbourg. The UK Coastguard was contacted at 0345, and is now coordinating the incident.
In a statement, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the Honor’s fixed firefighting systems were used to attack the fire and the cargo space has been sealed.
The ship’s crew continued to monitor the cargo area as the vessel headed back towards Southampton under its own power and with full maneuverability. The ship was planned to anchor to the South East of the Isle of Wight in the Solent.
UK Coastguard is monitoring the situation closely and the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has been notified of the incident.
The 1997-built Honor is one of eight ro/ros operated by ARC, with ship management provided by TOTE Services.
