Fire breaks out on Britain-Spain ferry

No one hurt among 766 passengers and 142 crew

BREST, FRANCE: A fire broke out on Monday on a cruise ferry carrying hundreds of passengers from Britain to Spain, but the blaze was brought under control with no-one hurt, French maritime authorities said.

The ship, operated by France's Brittany Ferries, raised the alarm around 4:00 am when a fire was detected in one of the two engine rooms as it was off the coast of northwest France.

"The fire was quickly brought under control and there were no injured among the 766 passengers and 142 crew," the regional maritime authorities said.

A French navy helicopter carrying firefighters and experts was dispatched to the vessel which was travelling from the southern English port of Plymouth to Santander in northern Spain.

On board were travellers from Britain, France, Spain, the United States, China and Poland.

The MV Pont-Aven, which can carry up to 2,400 passengers and 650 cars, is the largest vessel in the company's fleet, measuring 184 metres in length.

It will dock at a port in the northwestern Brittany region later on Monday.