Cargo ship gutted by fire at Apapa Port

A cargo ship, CHANG MIN, reportedly had some sections gutted by fire while anchored at one of the terminals in Apapa Port in Lagos on Friday.

This was contained in a statement on Saturday by Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA).

LASEMA explained that the vessel was laden with cargoes including CNG trucks, wooden products, tyres, and other highly combustible products.

It added that the fire was controlled through a combined effort from fire officials from the LASEMA Response Team, Onipanu, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Nigerian Ports Authority Fire Unit.

According to the statement, the fire was observed at the point of unloading, and the cause is yet to be ascertained at the time of filling in this report.

“Following distress alerts at 17:55, the 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,” the statement read in parts.

It highlighted preliminary investigations conducted by emergency responders at the scene, which revealed that the fire was observed at the point of unloading; the cause remains to be ascertained at the time of the report.

The statement emphasised that no life was lost and no injuries were sustained to anyone, as all seafarers on board have been accounted for.

“The Cobra response team, alongside all other responders at the scene, undertook the following actions. Debrief from the crew on board to give more information to emergency response teams as to the instruction that the compartment be totally shut to eliminate oxygen supply, while initial dampening down was being conducted,” it stated.

The statement stressed that emergency responders agreed upon a fire response plan on a method to combat the inferno in the safest possible way to eliminate secondary incidents, “and also ensure the safety of all fire fighters, reopening of the cargo hold to enable fire teams engage the inferno, location of fire and the ship floor plan.”

The LASEMA statement also added that the fire has been totally extinguished and the recovery operation concluded.