A Wagenborg cargo ship suffered a fire in its engine room on Saturday evening, 14 February, while sailing northwest of Gotska Sandön in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Coast Guard was alerted and managed to connect a towline to prevent the ship from drifting aground.
The vessel involved is the Diezeborg, reports the Swedish Coast Guard. The fire on board is reported to have been extinguished, but there is damage to the engine room. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Also read: Sweden compensated for Marco Polo grounding
Swedish Coast Guard secures towline
A tugboat, ordered by the shipping company, is expected to arrive at the Diezeborg today (16 February). However, at its speed and direction after the fire, the ship would run aground before this assistance could arrive. The vessel was at risk of grounding at Kopparstenarna, a shallow area just north of the island Gotska Sandön.
The Swedish Coast Guard has therefore initiated rescue operations to stabilise the situation at sea and thus prevent a grounding and possible oil spill. The Swedish Coast Guard’s tug KBV 002 Triton was able to connect a towline to the Diezeborg shortly before 3 am on Sunday.
Also read: Ship that grounded near Swedish bridge refloated
Crew and cargo safe
The situation at the position is under control. The crew of the Diezeborg are all still on board. Conditions are favourable for the ongoing operation, with moderate winds, a wave height of approximately 1.5 metres and clear visibility, reports the Coast Guard.
The multi-purpose dry cargo carrier Diezeborg is part of Wagenborg‘s D-Class, consisting of three vessels in total. The ice-class 1A vessel is 133.41 metres long and was delivered in 2000. It sails under the Dutch flag. At the time of the fire, it was en route to Kotka, Finland, with a cargo of zinc concentrate. The cargo is safely stowed on board and poses no danger.
Picture: KBV 002 Triton with towline to fire-damaged Wagenborg ship (photo by the Swedish Coast Guard).
Also read: Wagenborg assists car carrier after fire in the North Sea
