An aerial photograph taken on August 22, 2022 shows a Stena Line ferry sailing past the the Ever Alot container ship docked by stopped container loading cranes at the empty UK's largest freight port, in Felixstowe, during a dock workers eight-day strike over pay. - Workers at Britain's biggest container port, Felixstowe, began on August 21, 2022 an eight-day strike over pay, in the latest industrial action as decades-high inflation intensifies the country's cost-of-living crisis. Nearly 2,000 unionised employees at the port in eastern England, including crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores, started their walkout Sunday morning in the first strike at Felixstowe since 1989. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)

After a fire on Monday afternoon, the situation on the passenger ferry Stena Scandica off the Swedish coast is developing more dramatically than initially expected. The fire caused a power outage, a spokeswoman said

The ferry is now slowly drifting towards the island of Gotland in strong winds off the Swedish coast. That is why attempts are now being made to bring families with children and the elderly off board with the help of helicopters.

Initially, there were around 70 people. Of the 299 people on the ferry, 241 were passengers, the shipping authority wrote in a press release.

A tugboat to bring the ship to the port of Nynäshamn south of Stockholm is on its way, the spokeswoman said. “Hopefully he will be there in time. But there is a small risk that the ferry will run aground before then.”

A fire broke out in a refrigerated container on the car deck of the passenger ferry in the afternoon. There was smoke but no open flames. In the afternoon it was reported that the fire had been extinguished.

There were no reports of injuries. In the event of an evacuation, pilot boats and helicopters were sent in the direction of the ferry. A cargo ship and another passenger ferry had also responded to the emergency call.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR