Fire breaks out on new Marine Atlantic ferry

A fire broke out in one of the boiler rooms aboard Marine Atlantic's newest ferry on Dec. 27.

The company is still assessing the damage. It is yet unknown how the incident will impact the Atlantic Vision's start date or plans for its use in Corner Brook during the upcoming East Coast Music Association conference and awards.

A remote camera system onboard the vessel, docked at the North Sydney ferry terminal, detected the fire at 11:50 p.m.

The fire was contained to one of two thermal heating units on the vessel, according to Marine Atlantic spokesperson Tara Laing. The units are used to heat bunker fuel as well as provide heat throughout the ship.

The crew onboard the vessel suppressed the initial fire within 25 minutes but had to contend with several flare-ups. The fire was completely extinguished by 1:30 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

"As part of our emergency response plan, the North Sydney Fire Department was notified and quickly on site with firefighters and emergency vehicles," said Ms. Laing.

"The fire department assisted the crew with putting out the secondary flare-ups. Crew members of the Leif Ericson, which was in port at the time, also responded and provided assistance where needed during the incident."

Ms. Laing said the majority of the damage, including fire and smoke, was confined to the actual heating unit where the fire was contained. Some smoke residue is visible within the room.

Agencies including Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been contacted about the incident, Ms. Laing said. Transport Canada officials were scheduled to begin their inspection last week.

Marine Atlantic employees have been in ongoing safety and orientation training sessions onboard the Atlantic Vision while it's been docked at the North Sydney terminal for the last several weeks.

The ferry is expected to carry passengers and commercial traffic between Cape Breton and Newfoundland until 2013.

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