Commodore Clipper Fire Incident - My Experience

On the 16th June, I was unfortunate enough to be aboard the Commodore Clipper ferry when it caught fire in the English Channel. It was a very scary experience.

The alarm went off at 3 am in the morning and there was a message over the tannoy instructing all the passengers to go to the muster points. As you can imagine, I got up quicker than on any other occasion in my life.

On leaving my cabin, I found that the corridor was full of smoke. Upon arrival at the muster point, all the passengers were given life jackets and told to wait for instructions. There was some talk about putting us off in life boats. Fortunately after about 15 minutes we were told that the fire was under control and that we could return to our cabins. Hardly surprisingly, I did not try to return to sleep.

Initially, we were told that the ship would dock in Portsmouth an hour or so late. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be the case. The ship was still full of smoke from the ongoing fire and the ferry had developed a slight list. Eventually, the steering became such a problem that the services of tugs were required to get the ship into Portsmouth. The drama continued with a harbour pilot being dropped onto the ferry by helicopter.

The ferry eventually reached Portsmouth a few hours late and we were informed that we could leave the ship after the fire brigade had put out the fire. I thought that this would only take an hour or so but we were not allowed off the ferry until 10.30 pm at night. When I saw the burnt out wrecks of several containers, I realised the fire had been very severe and could see why the fire brigade needed so much time.

Upon disembarking, Conder Ferries took us to an excellent hotel at Liphook for the night. They even threw in a free beer which was much needed after the events of the previous 24 hours. The conduct of the crew was exemplary throughout this incident. They directed us well during the initial incident and kept us plied with food throughout the remainder of our time onboard.

Subsequent to the incident, I was compensated by Conder Ferries for having to buy a replacement railway ticket as my onward journey was delayed by 24 hours. I also asked to be compensated for the actual delay and inconvenience. Conder's own web site suggested that such a late arrival would normally result in recompense for part of the ferry ticket price. I have not received anything for that part of my claim and they have not replied to my last letter which was sent to them about six weeks ago.

Overall, the fire and its aftermath was quite an experience though one I would not care to repeat in a hurry. The passengers remained largely in good spirits throughout and the crew are to be complimented for their support and service.