The MV Pentalina ran aground near the ferry port at St Margaret’s Hope in Orkney (Picture: Pentland Ferries)

All the passengers aboard an Orkney ferry have been rescued after a fire broke out in its engine room and it ran aground.

The incident on the MV Pentalina yesterday evening was likely caused by a ‘sudden mechanical failure’, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said today.

Among the 60 passengers who were saved from the grounded boat by the RNLI were three children and an infant.

Most of the crew was also evacuated, though it is understood eight stayed behind to keep an eye on the situation.

Pentland Ferries, which operates the Pentalina, said smoke was detected in the engine room before the boat ran aground near the village of St Margaret’s Hope on South Ronaldsay, in the south-east of the island group.

A spokesman for the coastguard said: ‘St Margaret’s Hope, Stromness and Kirkwall Coastguard rescue teams, alongside Stromness and Longhope RNLI lifeboats, responded to a passenger vessel reporting a fire and having subsequently grounded, with minor water ingress, near St Margaret’s Hope at approximately 7.30pm.

‘A Mayday broadcast was issued. The fire was extinguished and passengers were evacuated by lifeboat to St Margaret’s Hope, where they were met by the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland.

‘All passengers have been reported safe and well.’

He said the ship was refloated at 5.30am today after being given a tow by a tug, and that the Marine Accident Investigation Branch had been informed.

A spokesman for the RMT union said: ‘A thorough investigation will be needed to establish how this major incident aboard the Pentland Ferries vessel occurred.’

Most Orkney residents rely on the ferry to travel back and forth from the Scottish mainland (Picture: Getty Images)

The incident is the latest in a series of woes for the ferry network that is relied upon by island residents and visitors along the west and north coasts of Scotland.

An aging fleet, frequent breakdowns and repeated delays to a contract awarded by the Scottish Government for building new vessels have put pressure on a number of essential routes.

The Pentalina had only returned to service earlier this week to allow another ferry, the MV Alfred, to service routes on the west coast for the company Calmac.

Orkney Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur said there important questions from MCA to answer, as he said the organisation had recently inspected and certified the Pentalina as fit for service.

He added: ‘Answers are required too from the Scottish Government whose failure to procure new ferries in a timely fashion has left services both in the north and on the west coast extremely vulnerable.

‘As a result, islanders and island communities are left paying the price.’

A spokesman for Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government body with responsibility for the ferry network, said: ‘The current priority is for Pentland Ferries to assess the condition of the vessel and any next steps to determine when she can return to service on the Pentland Firth.

‘All parties will work to minimise disruption to services to Orkney and Parliament will be kept updated.

‘We are committed to the completion of the two ferries at the Ferguson Marine shipyard, and supporting our island communities that rely on this type of vessel on a daily basis.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The incident is the latest in a series of woes for Scotland’s ferry network.