Courage transporter blaze ship returns to Southampton
- Published
A transporter ship that caught fire off the coast of Essex has arrived in Southampton.
The crew of the US-registered Courage tackled the blaze using the ship's inbuilt CO2 system after fire broke out on board on Tuesday night.
The vessel, which was heading to Southampton, spent Wednesday afternoon anchored off the Isle of Wight.
Specialist firefighters from Hampshire were winched on board to assess the ship before it completed its journey.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a fire was reported at 22:00 BST on Tuesday when the ship, carrying cars and US military vehicles, was 40 miles off Harwich.
The agency aid the fire had been "contained" by crew members, who flooded a large area with CO2 to extinguish the blaze, making it inaccessible.
The owners, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers, said: "A fire started on board and was put out by the ship's crew.
"We don't know how much damage has been done to the ship or the cargo.
"It is carrying a mix of commercial and US military vehicles and was heading for Southampton anyway."