Fire Onboard Olso-Copenhagen Passenger Ferry

Around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning a fire broke out on the DFDS passenger ferry Pearl of Scandinavia.

The fire began on the vehicle deck and required the help of Swedish firefighters who were airdropped onto the ferry. The Swedish coast guard sent two boats and a helicopter, while sea rescue sent two boats and Danish authorities sent one to assist with extinguishing flames. The ships sprinkler system and crew was able to contain most of the fire, putting it out in just a few hours.

Officials say passengers were evacuated from their cabins and brought to a muster station, but there was no need to evacuate them. Officials report no injuries to the 490 passengers or 161 crew members onboard.

The passenger ferry was travelling from Oslo to Copenhagen when the incident occurred and was moored off Höganäs while rescue teams assisted her.

The coast guard escorted the ferry the rest of the way to Copenhagen, where it is now moored. A spokesperson for the ships owner said passengers and crew would be offered crisis assistance as needed upon their arrival in port.

The Pearl of Scandinavia, formerly Athena and Star Aquarius before that is owned by the Danish shipping network DFDS. The company also owns the passenger/ferry vessel Lisco Gloria that caught fire last month on October 9th while travelling from Kiel to Klaipeda. That fire continued for more than 30 hours after an explosion on the car deck, forcing the evacuation of 249 people onboard. No one was seriously injured in that incident, however three people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Photo: Pearl of Scandinavia is brought into port