Fire on Passenger Ship Silja Serenade Car Deck Contained

A blaze erupted on March 2 aboard the Finland-flagged combined Ro-Ro and passenger ship SiljaSerenade after a truck transporting scrap metal caught fire on the vessel’s car deck. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.

The incident took place while the ship was sailing in the Baltic Sea between mainland Finland and the Åland Islands. The vessel reached the port of Mariehamn at around 3:00 a.m., where emergency teams from Turku and Helsinki were mobilized, according to Finland’s Maritime Safety Centre in Turku.

Given the heavy smoke conditions, a Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) made up of eight specialists from Helsinki and Turku was transported to the ship by helicopter to support firefighting efforts.

Firefighters and crew members managed to bring the situation under control by filling the affected container. Water was not used due to concerns about a possible explosion risk.

Authorities closed off the western harbor area in Mariehamn overnight as a precaution. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.