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Fire Leaves Ro/Pax Ferry Stranded for 24 Hours in Humber Estuary

pride of hull
Pride of Hull (file image courtesy Roel Hemkes / CC SA 2.0)

Published Oct 21, 2020 7:53 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Tuesday night, the ro/pax ferry Pride of Hull suffered an engine room fire while under way on a routine run from Hull to Rotterdam.

The fire broke out while Pride of Hull was outbound in the Humber estuary with 264 passengers on board. Operator P&O Ferries said in a statement that the fire was safely extinguished by the crew, and no injuries were reported. At no point were passengers in any danger, the firm said.

The Pride of Hull lost power due to the fire, and two tugs and one RNLI lifeboat were dispatched to provide assistance. The vessel anchored safely and awaited a return to her berth for a damage assessment.

"ABP responded last night to an incident of a fire in the engine room on the P&O vessel the Pride of Hull," said port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) in a statement. "We continue to liaise with and support the ship and will be assisting in her safe return to the Port of Hull as soon as possible."

On Wednesday evening, more than 24 hours after she lost power, the ferry returned to Hull and moored alongside, according to her AIS signal. 

P&O Ferries recently told employees that it is downsizing its cross-Channel services from Port of Hull due a drop in demand, canceling its Hull-to-Zeebrugge route aboard the ship Pride of York. Its Hull-to-Rotterdam service aboard Pride of Hull is not affected by the long-term change.