A FIRE-HIT North Sea ferry which prompted a major rescue alert last weekend will be out of service until June 16.

DFDS Seaways' Princess of Scandinavia is being repaired at Fredericia, in Denmark.

The vessel had left Newcastle with about 750 passengers on board when the Aberdeen coastguard received a distress signal after leakage from a hydraulic pipe above the main engine sparked a fire. Crew members eventually brought the blaze under control.

Yesterday, DFDS said the Newcastle-Kristiansand-Gothenburg route would re-open on June 16, and the first sailing from Newcastle will be on June 17, at 3pm.

Passengers who booked on this route up to June 16 are being offered alternative routes or dates or full refunds.