On July 26, 2025, at 5.42 p.m. the fire department responded to a fire on the 'Ida' en route to the port of Bogø. The South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police was notified of flames coming out of the smokestsck. The crew still managed to bring the ferry to the dock. When the emergency services arrived at the scene, they found that there was a fire in the engine room. Due to the quick reaction, the emergency services gained control of the situation, On July 27,there was still no overview of the damage, and it was unknown, whether a replacement ferry or buses would be deployed by the Vordingborg Municipality. A decision was to be maked once there was a more precise overview of the damage and if there was an indication of when sailing could be resumed. Damage service has been called in to repair some of the results of the fire, and on July 28 personnel of the Stege Shipyard attended to investigate what needed to be repaired.The ferry sails between Bogø Harbour and Stubbekøbing harbour during the summer months. Reports with photos: https://www.tv2east.dk/vordingborg/brand-pa-faergen-ida-2ada8?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLyPFNjbGNrAvI8UGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeojeg1CyobCadmwpYD7EPnDCPxyIJP9ia0s3QLjn7ac89KDcHz5tDQ4L8ZHU_aem_qh3qIjIl3fqZuvFB4OXtdw https://www.avisen.dk/brand-saetter-gammel-traefaerge-ud-af-spil-paa-ukend_806040.aspx https://www.folketidende.dk/nyheder/efter-brand-pa-faerge-det-skal-der-ske-nu/4990216 https://www.tv2east.dk/vordingborg/brandskadet-faerge-skal-undersoges-2826d?fbclid=IwY2xjawL0DU1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHsNEi7Ndlu4tvrEFGmXxCNXtpKfXZMWo7PfhjIqEPw0HmqvGqAgWvitAlnaQ_aem_ggIg6jqZ9ILa5Y9vWRHWOw
News
CALEDONIAN ISLES
The 'Caledonian Isles' has left the James Watt Dock of the Dales Marine in Greenock on the evening July 25, as the ferry operator tries to find a solution to technical problems that have kept the ship out of service for more than a year and a half. The ferry was bound for dry dock in Leith, for repairs which could take between eight weeks and four months. Thge mechanisms that control the pitch of the propellers will have to be removed for further investigation. If that doesn't work, the retrofitting of a new system to improve the accuracy of the pitch control will be tried. This would take four more months. The 'Caledonian Isles' went out of service for its annual overhaul in January 2024. A hull deformity was discovered after repairs at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, which has had a knock-on effect on the ferry’s return to service and prompted CalMac to seek to recover some of the almost £11 million in costs from the Birkenhead yard. CalMac intended to publish winter timetables soon and aim to give communities and customers certainty about service levels and vessel deployment during that period.
HOLIDAY ISLAND
The fire on the 'Holiday Island' in Prince Edward Island on July 22, 2022 has led the Transportation Safety Board of Canadato launch a national investigation into ship fires and the responses to them. The board announced its investigation as it released a report, in which, the independent agency said that the crew helped passengers safely down the ferry’s two evacuation slides and into life rafts where they were picked up by local boats. The fire had started in themain engine room after its fuel injection system, whch had been repaired a day before, failed and caused fuel to spray onto the hot engine and ignite. The crew shut down the engine, attempted to close the fuel supply valves and beached the vessel on a nearby sandbar. The crew believed they had activated a carbon dioxide fire suppression system from the ship’s bridge; however, the instructions were unclear and the system was not actually engaged. Initially this went unnoticed, allowing the fire to grow and it wasn’t until 15 minutes later that the crew manually released the CO2. By then the fire had intensified. Despite efforts, it couldn’t be extinguished and the vessel was abandoned until the fire burned out two days later, leaving the ferry damaged beyond repair- A report released nearly one year ago on vessel safety included three recommendations related to crew training, passenger evacuation procedures and the need for accurate passenger counts. But many of these same issued were identified on the 'Holiday Island'. For example, the ship’s captain initially reported 182 passengers on board when the final count was 236. The agency’s report found that the crew aboard the ferry had varying levels of training, and of familiarity with the life-saving equipment, and that it was unclear who was legally responsible for the ferry’s safety. The ferry was operated by Northumberland Ferries but on behalf of Transport Canada. In a statement on July 23, 2025, Mark Wilson, president and CEO of Northumberland Ferries, said the company welcomes the safety board’s findings, adding that 16 corrective actions have already been taken dating back to 2022 to improve the ferry’s performance. These actions included enhancing the emergency training, revising and updating procedures and strengthening operational protocols. The company will work with Transport Canada to ensure that the report’s findings are implemented in a timely and effective fashion. The board recommended that Transport Canada provide better guidance on who is responsible for vessel safety. The board said its national investigation will include consultations with marine operators, firefighting services and ports to improve systemic safety gaps related to ship fires. Over the past 35 years, the safety board has issued nine safety concerns and 10 recommendations related to fire safety, while in the last 10 years nearly 400 fires on commercial vessels have been reported to the agency.
AZUREA
Orcas have rammed the ''Azurea', with two French crew members on board, off the northern coast of Spain on July 21, 2025, at around 2 p.m.. The yacht issued a mayday call after the attack left its steering disabled just north of the town of Deba in the Spanish Basque Country. The two sailors, one of whom was aged 60, were rescued by the Spanish Coastguard, and taken with their boat under tow to the port of Getaria. Sailors were urged to be cautious in the Bay of Biscay.
