A Brittany Ferries ship with more than 800 onboard and bound for Santander on Spain's northern coast was diverted to France after an engine-room blaze.
According to media reports, the 40,859-gt Pont-Aven (built 2004) was carrying 742 passengers and 142 crew members from Plymouth when a fire broke out around 4 am local time.
The ship, set to arrive in Spain at 11:15 am, was instead diverted to Brest where Brittany Ferries has promised "comprehensive checks". According to AIS data, the ship is currently moored in Brest.
No injuries were reported. A French Navy helicopter was dispatched to get firefighters onboard the ship to put the fire out.
"Brittany Ferries crews train regularly to deal with incidents at sea, and the company operates a dedicated fire incident training centre at its St Malo base in France. The crew immediately put this training into action and brought the fire under control," the company said in a statement.
"Brittany Ferries would like to apologise to all passengers affected by this morning’s incident — and for the disruption to their onward journeys."
According to Brittany Ferries' website, a 30 April voyage from Portsmouth to Santander and a 1 May voyage from Santander to Plymouth have been cancelled due to the fire.
