Irish Ferries vessel towed into port following fire in the engine room

Published

3 years ago

March 4, 2023

A PASSENGER ferry, operated by the same company which operates the Pembroke Dock to Rosslare service, has been towed into Calais after a fire broke out in the engine room.

Passengers are now disembarking after the ferry safely docked, marine authorities have confirmed.

The blaze started on Friday night and was contained, according operator Irish Ferries.

It was sailing from Dover to Calais and had 94 passengers and 89 crew on board. There were no reports of any injuries.

Three lifeboats from Dover, Ramsgate and Dungeness were launched as well as a French salvage tug.

Those booked on Isle of Innisfree sailings in the near future will be transferred to alternative sailings, Irish Ferries said.

The firm has apologised to all of its passengers for the disruption to their journeys.

A statement from the firm said: “Crews train regularly to deal with incidents at sea, and the company has put its training into action and the fire has been extinguished.”

Irish Ferries later added it will launch a “full investigation into the incident in conjunction with the relevant authorities”.

HM Coastguard said: “The vessel has confirmed that the fire has been extinguished but [it had experienced] technical issues.”

There was a similar incident in Pembrokeshire on another Irish Ferries vessel in 2008.

On July 30 of that year, a fire broke out on board the Isle of Inishmore at Pembroke Dock at approximately 02.30am, in a thermal oil boiler located adjacent to the engine room of the vessel.

The function of this boiler is to preheat the fuel oil prior to its use in the ship’s main engines.

The ship was getting ready to sail for Rosslare at 02:45am, with some 227 passengers and 89 crew on board.

All passengers and crew were put on standby.

At 4:20am the fire was brought under control with nobody having been injured.

On that day, the 02:45am Pembroke to Rosslare and the 08:45am Rosslare to Pembroke crossings were both cancelled as a result.

Last week there was no Fishguard-to-Rosslare ferry link following another engine room fire on the Stena Europe.

On February 11, a fire on board the vessel broke out as it approached Fishguard, which sparked a huge multi-agency response.

The 88 passengers on board were issued with lifejackets as a precautionary measure, but all disembarked safely after the vessel docked.

Stena Line said that immediate investigations would be carried out into the cause of the fire.

A Stena Line spokesman said at the time: “The investigation is ongoing, but initial indications identified a fuel pipe failure on one of the vessel’s main engines.

“The overall assessment continues, in cooperation and collaboration with the vessel’s Classification Society and all relevant regulatory authorities.

“The vessel was scheduled to go to dry dock after Fishguard for planned maintenance works, but this has been slightly delayed due to recent events.

“However, the authorities have now approved the vessel to continue sailing and it will proceed to dry dock to complete scheduled maintenance and any repairs, before it safely returns to the route.

“We are sorry for the ongoing inconvenience this causes and will provide further details to our customers as soon as we can.”

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

6 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.