A back-up freight vessel from DFDS is set to begin operations today following an incident involving one of its ships, the Caesarea Trader, which experienced an engine room fire while traveling from Jersey to Portsmouth. The Danish shipping company confirmed that the MV Arrow is currently en route from France and will help mitigate disruptions to freight services.
The fire on the Caesarea Trader occurred on Monday afternoon but was contained without injuries to the crew or the one passenger aboard. As of yesterday afternoon, the vessel remained anchored off the Isle of Wight as DFDS worked with port authorities for further assessment.
In response to the situation, DFDS deployed an additional sailing with its vessel, Stena Vinga, and summoned the MV Arrow, which left Dunkerque and is expected to reach Portsmouth later today. The ferry operator is also coordinating with freight customers to establish a revised operating schedule.
Kirsten Morel, the Economic Development Minister, expressed gratitude that there were no injuries during the incident. She noted the effectiveness of DFDS’s contingency plans, which aimed to minimize the impact on Jersey’s supply chain.
“The DFDS back-up vessel, MV Arrow, is expected to be in operation from [today], and DFDS is working with freight customers on the revised operating schedule,” Morel stated. “Additionally, the Stena Vinga is making an extra freight-only sailing today.”
Thanks to the rapid response from DFDS, Jersey will only lose one of its eleven weekly freight rotations between Jersey and the UK, highlighting the importance of maintaining strong partnerships with reliable ferry operators for supply chain resilience.
