20000312

North Sea ferry sails on after mid-sea fire scare

LONDON: A Dutch North Sea passenger ferry with 822 people aboard which caught fire at sea on Saturday morning has continued on its journey to Zeebrugge after the funnel blaze was contained, the coast guard said.

No-one aboard the Norstar was injured during the fire, fire service officials said.

"She has carried on passage to Zeebrugge," a Yarmouth coastguard spokeswoman told Reuters.

"The fire has been contained and the boat checked for possible fire spread," a Suffolk fire service official added. "The passengers are not in any danger. We have had no reports of any injuries."

The Norstar was diverted to the eastern English port of Harwich early on Saturday when the fire flared after leaving Hull en route to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.

The 26,919 gross tonne Norstar is owned by North Sea Ferries.

The ferry, which resumed its journey after a nearly five-hour delay, was expected to dock in Zeebrugge. -Reuters