Fire guts cargo ship at Lagos Port

A fire outbreak has razed a cargo ship, CHANG Min, at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The ship arrived at the port on Saturday, June 21, with a consignment which included CNG trucks, tyres, iron rods and construction equipment.

It was gathered that the vessel upon arrival went up in flames as the captain successfully managed to steer it into the port vicinity for immediate rescue operations.

Operatives around the port helped berth the ship at shed 8, ENL Consortium Terminal in Apapa with rescuers on the ground.

While confirming the incident, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) in a statement said, the fire was put out following efforts from the agency’s team, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Fire Unit.

According to Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the permanent secretary of the authority, the fire was observed at the point of unloading.

“Following distress alerts at 1755hrs, the Lagos State Emergency Management (LASEMA), activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans from the Cobra Base in Onipanu.

“Upon arrival at the scene, a cargo ship CHANG MIN laden with cargo which included CNG trucks, wooden products, tyres and other highly combustible products was observed to have caught fire within section two of the cargo hold.

“Preliminary investigations conducted by Emergency responders at the scene revealed that the fire was observed at the point of unloading and the cause is yet to be ascertained at the time of report,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He also noted that no life was lost during the incident as seafarers onboard the vessel have been accounted for.

While noting that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, Oke-Osanyintolu said that the fire had been totally extinguished and the recovery operation concluded.