Saturday, April 18, 2015

COAST GUARD ESCORTS VICTORIA CLIPPER FERRY FOLLOWING VESSEL FIRE NEAR PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON




APRIL 17, 2015

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Coast Guard crews escorted the passenger ferry Victoria Clipper to Seattle following a reported electrical fire aboard the vessel near Port Townsend, Thursday.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Bellingham, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles escorted the Victoria Clipper to its Seattle pier after the ferry’s crewmembers reportedly extinguished the fire aboard the vessel.

The Victoria Clipper was reportedly carrying 223 passengers from Victoria, B.C., to Seattle at the time of the incident. There were no reported injuries.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound in Seattle received a report from Victoria Clipper personnel of an electrical fire on an anchor windlass in a forward space onboard the vessel around 7:16 p.m.

The Dolphin aircrew and Terrapin crew were diverted from a scheduled training exercise to assist. The Washington State Ferry Operation Center was also notified and was ready to divert a vessel to assist if passengers needed to be transferred from the Victoria Clipper.

“The response of the Victoria Clipper crew was exceptional,” said Lt. Raffael Shamilov, command duty officer at the Coast Guard 13th District Command Center in Seattle.

The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the fire.

Weather on scene was reported to be calm seas, 3 mph winds and an air temperature of 57 degrees.