Jersey will only lose a single freight rotation out of 11 per week as a result of DFDS’s “swift” response after one of its vessels suffered an engine room fire while on its way from Jersey to Portsmouth.

The impact was confirmed by Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel this afternoon, as he praised the Danish ferry provider’s contingency arrangements, which included calling in a back-up vessel and developing a “revised” sailing schedule for freight customers, while it continued working with port authorities to bring the damaged Caesarea Trader in for “further assessment”.

This swift response by DFDS means that Jersey is losing only one of its 11 weekly freight rotations between Jersey and the UK

Deputy Kirsten Morel

At the time of writing, the Trader was being assisted by multiple tugs and a pilot boat off the Isle of Wight.

The blaze on board the Caesarea Trader – previously the Condor-owned Commodore Goodwill – was first reported at around 4.15pm on Monday, when the ship was anchored off the Isle of Wight coast.

It is understood the DFDS vessel, which left St Helier earlier on Monday, suddenly lost all power before a fire was discovered in the engine room.

Pictured: MV Arrow is due to commence operations on the Jersey Portsmouth route from Wednesday.

Bembridge RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was launched to the scene, supported by tug vessels dispatched from Portsmouth.

Deputy Morel said: “We are thankful that no one was injured during the incident on the Caesarea Trader, and pleased that DFDS’s contingency plan has been implemented so effectively, minimising the impact on Jersey’s lifeline supply chain.”

Deputy Morel continued: “The DFDS back-up vessel, MV Arrow, is expected to be in operation from tomorrow (Wednesday), and DFDS is working with freight customers on the revised operating schedule.

“In addition, the Stena Vinga – which carries both passengers and freight – is making an additional freight-only sailing today.”

The minister added: “This swift response by DFDS means that Jersey is losing only one of its 11 weekly freight rotations between Jersey and the UK, and it demonstrates the value of working with a ferry operator which is capable of providing such supply chain resilience.”

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