The United States Coast Guard (USCG) said in a report that the fire that started in the engine room of the 561-foot ferry Caribbean Fantasy is still ablaze and has yet to be controlled.
USCG said they are developing a vessel salvage plan to contain the fire which has already spread to other compartments of the ship.
A unified command team consisting of the USCG, the ship’s operator Baja Ferries, and other agencies are cooperating to respond to the incident half a mile from Punta Salinas in Puerto Rico.
The coast guard said in an earlier bulletin that marine inspectors, together with salvage and firefighting teams were scheduled to board the ship to assess damage.
The 27-year-old vessel was grounded off Punta Salinas with a 1,000-yard safety zone cordoned off to facilitate salvage proceedings.
Sheening and pollution have not been reported in the surrounding area.
The 511 passengers and crew were safely disembarked from the Panamanian-flagged ship and brought to San Juan’s Pier 6.
