Fire extinguished on U.S.-flag Courage

No crew members were hurt in the incident, according to the vessel’s operator, American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier.
Updated June 5, 2015: After recharging the CO2 fire extinguishing system on the Courage, the ship was being vented on Friday afternoon so that it is safe for inspectors to enter the ships to confirm the fire is totally extinguished and to assess cargo damage. The extent of cargo damage is still unknown.

   The crew of the U.S.-flag vessel Courage are all safe and accounted for after the roll-on/roll-off ship caught fire Tuesday night.
   The ship is operated by U.S.-flag carrier American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier.
   Charles Diorio, a spokesman for the company, said the fire was extinguished with the ship’s on-board carbon dioxide fire fighting system.
   According to the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the ship caught fire Tuesday night at around 10 p.m. 40 miles off Harwich. The ship then spent a day anchored in the Solent off the Isle of Wight before proceeding to the Port of Southampton Wednesday night.
   Diorio said the crew were waiting until the ship’s fire extinguishing system was recharged before opening the ro-ro decks of the vessel. The extent of the damage to cargo onboard is not yet known.
   The ship was carrying both commercial cargo and some cargo for the military such as personal vehicles and household goods, but not munitions and military hardware, according to Diorio.
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Chris Dupin

Chris Dupin has written about trade and transportation and other business subjects for a variety of publications before joining American Shipper and Freightwaves.