Ferry with nearly 900 catches fire

LONDON -- Two fires broke out aboard a ferry carrying nearly 900 passengers in the North Sea off Scotland on Friday night, and several helicopters and ships were rushed there on a rescue mission.

However, Princess of Scandinavia crew members extinguished fires in the engine room and the smokestack early Saturday morning without outside help, and no serious injuries were reported, said the Scandinavian owners of the vessel.

The British air force said that the engines aboard the 22,000-ton passenger and auto ferry were knocked out by the fire and that it was floating freely in the calm North Sea. But most of the rescue helicopters and ships were called back from the scene.

"All fires on board the Princess of Scandinavia are out," said a spokesman for the Danish DFDS group. "There was no visible panic throughout the incident among the passengers.