KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Eurotunnel awarded more than £200million after 2008 fire

By: Danny Boyle

Published: 10:00, 12 November 2012

Updated: 10:35, 12 November 2012

Fire crews from across Kent tackled the Eurotunnel blaze in September 2008

Fire crews from across Kent tackled the Eurotunnel blaze

by Chris Price

Insurers have awarded Eurotunnel £202million after a fire in 2008 that left one tunnel closed for three months.

The final agreement comes 11 months after Groupe Eurotunnel was initially awarded £178million.

mpu1

The delay in the award, made public today, boosted the overall claim after an agreement was reached on an excess layer of Eurotunnel's policy with its pool of insurers.

The 16-hour fire on September 11, 2008 involved a France-bound shuttle carrying heavy goods vehicles and their drivers.

Eurotunnel services suspended

More than 100 firefighters from Kent fought the blaze at the height of the operation.

Although at its peak it reached temperatures of 1,000C, no one suffered serious injuries.

Full service resumed in February 2009, after repairs costing nearly £48million.

The multi-million pound award for the company – which carried its 300 millionth passenger last year – has been split between repairs, rolling stock and other costs.

Since 2008, Groupe Eurotunnel has invested more than £15million in four "SAFE" zones.

mpu2

The 800 metre areas are aimed at controlling a fire and helping fire brigades get to a blaze more quickly.

This has reduced the group's annual insurance premia (material damage and business interruption) to around £8million.

Read more

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024