| All Irish Ferries services between Rosslare and Cherbourg have been cancelled as the result of a fire onboard their cruise ferry, the Oscar Wilde.
Irish Ferries have confirmed that the fire occurred shortly after the ferry had departed from the A&P Shipyard at Falmouth in Cornwall where it had been in dry dock undergoing its annual overhaul. The fire was discovered and contained by members of the 113-strong crew who were onboard at the time. A firefighting team was airlifted to the ferry by helicopter.
There were no passengers onboard, and no members of the crew were hurt during the incident. The Oscar Wilde is now safely back in Falmouth port having been towed back by tugs this morning to allow the crew to assess the damage. The cause of the fire is not yet known, and Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed and is investigating.
The Oscar Wilde was expected to resume sailings between Rosslare and Cherbourg, departing Rosslare this afternoon, two days ahead of schedule. However a spokesman for Irish Ferries has stated that all sailings on the Rosslare to Cherbourg route will be cancelled until next Tuesday at the earliest.
Irish Ferries are contacting all passengers with reservations on the affected sailings and will release schedule updates as soon as possible. Irish Ferries operates 3 ferries between the UK and Ireland, however the Oscar Wilde is their only ship to sail to France.
Posted by Rob Williams | 
