Electrical short blamed for ferry fire off Quezon, Philippines

The Philippine Coast Guard said that a fire that ignited on a local passenger vessel in an incident last week had been caused by an electrical short.

The Ro-Pax ferry Monreal owned by Kho Shipping Lines was nearing the Port of San Andres in Quezon province south of Manila and was just one nautical mile off the coast when the blaze ignited on Wednesday, August 27.

The coast guard said that the blaze was promptly contained by the crew and that the vessel's power was eventually restored by a licenced electrician on board.

The coast guard, the Philippine Bureau of Fire Protection, and other partner agencies had deployed personnel to the Port of San Andres as a precaution in anticipation of a possible rescue effort.

The ferry berthed at San Andres by 22:49 local time on Wednesday, and all 119 passengers and crew were safely disembarked. No injuries have been reported while the cargo of 16 vehicles suffered no damage.

The coast guard is continuing its investigation into the fire. It has also since notified the Maritime Industry Authority about the incident and the detention of Monreal as part of the process of securing a suspension of the vessel's passenger ship safety certificate.