Ship with Radioactive Cargo Stable After Fire

A ship carrying radioactive concrete that had to shut down its engine in the North Sea after its funnel caught fire was stable on Wednesday and being towed to the northeastern coast of Scotland, the British coastguard said.

The Parida put down its anchor to stop itself drifting after the blaze on Tuesday evening. Emergency crews evacuated 52 people from the nearby Beatrice oil platform, which is partially owned by Ithaca, as a precaution.

It was believed the ship was carrying radioactive concrete waste from Scrabster in northern Scotland to Antwerp, Belgium, the coastguard said.

"It's under tow at the moment," a spokeswoman for the UK coastguard told Reuters, saying it was heading for Invergordon, north of Inverness.

"It's a very small quantity that's onboard this vessel, and it's stable. We're not talking about huge amounts of radioactive waste," she added.

Scotland's Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said ministers had been informed about the movements of the ship, which is listed on shipping websites as sailing under a Danish flag.

"Scottish Government officials are engaging closely with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the UK Government and key partners to ensure appropriate response arrangements are in place," he added.