2002,May 17,Cruise ferry with 758 pax and 126 crew has engine fire which spread to funnel. Fire extinguished after several hours. Plans for evacuation of ship .canceled.A rescue operation was under way in
the North Sea late on Friday after a fire broke out on a ferry
with 881 people on board.
The fire in the engine room of the Princess of Scandinavia has been brought under control, but a second blaze in a funnel is still being fought, and no casualties were reported, the BBC
reported. A spokesman for Aberdeen Coastguards said they put out a mayday call to other vessels in the area, although the master of the ship said onboard firefighting facilities were sufficient. Five Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Helicopters were being scrambled, along with a Nimrod from RAF Lossiemouth and a Scandinavian helicopter.
Further helicopters attached to a nearby oil rig have also been put on alert in case it is decided to evacuate the ship, 160
kilometers off the coast of Aberdeen. The Coastguards spokesman said the mood among the passengers
was not yet known as communications with the ship were difficult. He said whether they should be evacuated was the master's decision and if he gave the go-ahead the operation would take a "
matter of minutes".

The ferry is operated by DFDS Seaways, part of the Danish DFDS group, which has one of the largest fleets in northern Europe. It runs between Newcastle, Kristiansand in Norway and
Gothenburg in Sweden. The ship was built in 1976. It is 184 meters long and weighs 22,
528 tones. It has a sister ship, the Prince of Scandinavia.