Full steam ahead on Titanic excursion despite fire on research vessel

A small fire broke out aboard a research vessel days before it is scheduled to leave Newfoundland for an expedition to the site of the Titanic shipwreck.

But a spokeswoman for the 20-day expedition said it will leave the harbour in St. John's on Sunday as scheduled.

"This will not affect the departure," Jennifer Rogers said Wednesday.

The 76-metre Jean Charcot was sitting in the harbour on Tuesday night when the fire broke out in its cargo hold.

Superintendent Don Byrne of the city's fire department said the vessel was evacuated while firefighters extinguished the blaze with the help of two crew members.

"There was no injuries and minimal loss, there was only just minor damage," Supt. Byrne said. "It was confined to the cargo hold area."

Ms. Rogers said the fire was caused by some welding that was taking place on the vessel.

Scientists taking part in the expedition plan to assess the deteriorating condition of the Titanic. They will create a detailed three-dimensional map of the wreckage, nearly 100 years after the ship struck an iceberg and slid to the bottom of the North Atlantic, killing 1,522 people.