The 110 meter long self-propelled barge Uniqueship suffered an explosion and fire while at Rotterdam, Netherlands. Two crewmen were caught in the explosion with one jumping into the water. Both men suffered injuries to the arms, legs and back. Both crewmen were rescued and taken to hospital. The local fire brigade arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. No further details reported.
MSC FLAMINIA and the accompanying group of tugboats have assumed a waiting position approximately 100 nautical miles off the British coast. While the team of firefighting experts is onboard MSC FLAMINIA, the vessel is not towed. Today, a team of firefighting experts has again boarded MSC FLAMINIA. It is yet unsure when a one-by-one inspection of containers can commence. This inspection aims at eliminating any smoldering fires inside of containers. Firefighting and shipbuilding experts on site are among other things assessing the stability of the vessel.
Overall, the situation onboard MSC FLAMINIA continues to improve. According to firefighting experts, almost no smoke generation can be observed from cargo holds 4 and 5. Nevertheless, hotspots inside of individual containers should still be reckoned with. A permission to enter a sheltered coastal area will be decided upon by authorities in the coming days. Once the vessel has arrived at a so-called “sheltered area”, a secure sea area close to the shore, further, more thorough investigations can be continued.
The 180 meter long, 37961 dwt chemical tanker Bunga Alpinia caught fire while at the terminal at Labuan, Malaysia. The vessel was loading 6,000 tons of methanol when it exploded engulfing the vessel in flames. Two crewmen were killed while another three were injured from heavy burns. The remaining 24 crewman safely escaped. Local firefighters where called to the scene while some 1,000 residents were evacuated. Before the fire was brought under control, there was a third explosion. The explosion was heard some eight kilometers away. The tanker remains afloat partially listing to port next to the jetty which was partially destroyed. The authorities state the initial cause of the explosion was most likely a lightning strike. The vessel had been struck by lightning twice earlier. The Bunga Alpinia was set to load 15,000 tons of methanol bound for China.
Photos from nst.com.my
