Cargo ship to be towed to shore after engine room fire

A cargo ship is set to be towed to shore after a fire broke out in its engine room off the Isle of Wight.

The Caesarea Trader will be checked and then towed into Portsmouth at "first light" where crews from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service will take over the incident.

The blaze on the vessel, which is at anchor east of Shanklin, was first reported to HM Coastguard at about 15:45 GMT on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "At around 22:00, the situation on board the vessel was reported as stable, with all 24 persons on board accounted for and well."

The coastguard search and rescue helicopter was sent to undertake thermal imaging of the vessel, along with Bembridge RNLI lifeboat and tugs from Portsmouth.

The lifeboat crew was stood down at 20:20 after remaining on scene as a precaution.

The Caesarea Trader - previously named Commodore Goodwill - was reflagged under the UK flag last year and transports freight between the Channel Islands and Portsmouth.

It has a cargo capacity of 1,250 cubic metres, the equivalent of about 80 trailers.

Operator DFDS said it was "making necessary steps to maintain continuity of freight links to Jersey".

The ferry served the Channel Islands for nearly 30 years before it was bought by the Danish-based company in 2025.

It was renamed Caesarea Trader in homage to Jersey's Latin name, Caesarea.

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