Specialist Hampshire firefighters have been called in after a blaze broke out on a car transporter ferry last night.

The fire started on a deck on American car carrier Courage while the vessel was around 40 miles off-shore near Harwich.

Its crew was able to use a special CO2 powered flooding system to suppress the flames and it is thought the fire is out.

The carrier is now coming in to Southampton Docks so experts from Hampshire Fire and Rescue can be winched aboard to make sure the blaze is out and that the deck is safe.

Using the CO2 means the corridors and areas around the deck are now not accessible to the crew which is why the team are needed.

The specialists from Hampshire Fire and Rescue assessment team will look at where the CO2 was used to make sure it’s safe for the pilot to get through to take the vessel alongside in Southampton.

Counter-pollution staff from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are monitoring the situation but say it is all contained.

Courage weighs more than 52,000 tonnes and was bound for Southampton from Bremerhaven in Germany.