Copenhagen, 11 October 2010
Announcement no. 37/2010
Assistance from other shipping companies' ships and a well functioning
co-operation with the authorities ensured together with the crew an effective
rescue at sea
A fire broke out on board the freight and passenger ship, LISCO GLORIA, the
night between Friday and Saturday just before midnight. The ship is one of two
ships deployed on DFDS' route between Kiel in Germany and Klaipeda in
Lithuania. The route is part of DFDS' sea-based transport network in the
Baltic.
”All 204 passengers and 32 crew menbers were rescued from the fire by our
crew's rescue at sea operation, assistance from other ships in the area and a
well functioning co-operation with the German and Danish authorities. A total
of 23 passengers were treated for smoke poisoning and other injuries, one
passenger remains in treatment. We have provided assistance to passengers and
their relatives in Kiel, Klaipeda and Palanga. On Saturday night 113 passengers
thus travelled with the route's other ship, LISCO MAXIMA, to Klaipeda and
Sunday morning 70 passengers were flown to Lithuania in a chartered plane.
Later Sunday one more plane departed for Lithuania”, informs Niels Smedegaard,
CEO of DFDS.
”I would like to express my gratitude to the assisting shipping companies as
well as the German and Danish authorities' effective joint rescue
co-ordination, which together with the crew contributed to rescuing the
passengers. All parties have acted with precisely the high level of
responsibility such a situation demands”, says Niels Smedegaard.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. During the next weeks the scope
of the damage will be evaluated and the cause of the fire will be investigated.
Thereafter, measures to repair the ship will be considered.
The ship is insured and the fire is currently not foreseen to entail any major
economic consequences for DFDS.
A replacement ship will be deployed on the route and operations is expected to
be normalised within a matter of days. A minor loss on operations will thus be
incurred, and for a period some extra tonnage costs. It is currently estimated
that the total cost of the fire will not exceed a single digit million amount
in DKK in 2010.
