CASUALTY - 31 Years Ago - HERALD OF FREE ENTERPRISE - 06.03.1987 During the evening of 6th March 1987 MS Herald of Free Enterprise, a Townsend Thoresen branded RORO passenger and car ferry owned by European Ferries capsized shortly after sailing. The ferry left the Belgium port of Zeebrugge bound for Dover. At 1920 hrs the vessel passed out of the inner breakwater and in to the shipping channel, by 1928 hrs she had capsized. At 1927 hrs the helmsman reported that the vessel wouldn’t respond. Her master immediately put the engines to astern. Unfortunately by this point the vessel was already listing 30 degrees to port and this had no effect. The vessel righted for a moment before capsizing to port and settling on a sandbar on her side, the sandbank prevented the ferry from completely sinking in deeper water. The water reached the ship’s electrical systems and destroyed both the main and emergency power which left the ship in complete darkness. At the time the ...
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