Ponant has cancelled its Antarctic itineraries due to a fire in the engine room of the Le Boreal, which broke out while the ship was sailing near the Falkland Islands.
The British Royal Air Force deployed search and rescue teams stationed in the Falkland Islands in response to the ship's distress call, in order to assist in the swift evacuation of passengers. In a statement, Ponant confirmed that the incident was under control and that no passengers were injured.
The 256 passengers were transferred to Le Boreal's sister ship, L'Austral, which was sailing in the area.
L'Austral arrived in Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, on Thursday the 19th. The passengers were repatriated from there.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Le Boreal lost power in one of its main engines, which caused a considerable fire in the engine room. This was compounded by a gale from west to north that put the ship in danger of collision near Cape Dolphin, East Falkland.
The ministry assured that the ship is in stable condition and that two Dutch tugboats, with the collaboration of the British Forces, towed it to land in order to carry out a detailed review of what happened.
