A ferry laden with vehicles is drifting in the English Channel after a fire broke out on board early this morning, Lloyd's Casualty Reporting service said.
The 16,947-tonne Southern Carrierwas sailing from Southampton in southern England to Vigo in northwest Spain when the fire broke out, Lloyd's said.
No casualties have been reported and a French tug is on hand to help.
"We don't know if there has been any damage. . . . We believe the fire might have started in the engine room or affected the engine as the ship is drifting," a Lloyd's spokesman said.