A vehicle that was travelling across the Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania II caught fire while in transit in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The fire in the vehicle's engine bay was "quickly extinguished" by the on-board fire crew, and passengers were mustered by the Master of the vessel about midnight, TT-Line CEO Bernard Dwyer said.
"The crew did an outstanding job under very difficult circumstances, extinguishing the fire and keeping passengers and fellow crew members safe," he said.
"The important thing to remember is that while this was an extremely serious incident, the Master and crew performed admirably and according to safety protocols implemented during rigorous training.
"Spirit of Tasmania II resumed normal operations and returned to full speed at about 130am and arrived on schedule."
A rumour circulating on Thursday that the fire had sprung up in a truck carrying two horses and killed them was "utterly false", a TT-Line spokesperson later confirmed.
Why not have your say? Write a letter to the editor here:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner