19 Indian crew rescued after dhow catches fire

“All the crew (Indian nationals) are safe and have been sent back home to Porbunder in the Indian State of Gujarat,” said Mohammed Yusuf, its agent in Dubai.

The dhow was loaded with 30,075 bags of charcoal and was heading for Ajman when fire broke out just 15 hours of sailing from Port Kishimayo. The fire engulfed the entire dhow and in the circumstances, the dhow's captain Juma Mamad Sodha urged his crew to jump into the sea and abandon the ship which later sank in the Somalian waters.

Swimming aimlessly, the crew sighted 'Al Mukhtar' a passing dhow which rescued them all, said Yusuf, expressing relief that at least the crew's lives were saved. Although, the damages incurred is estimated at around Dh3 million, of which one million was cargo, he noted.

Yusuf said the incident has raised safety concerns among workers employed by several dhow owners in the UAE and India. “We have now decided that safety of workers will be of prime importance to us and have ensured that in case of carrying hazardous commodity, the vessel will be allowed to stay anchored at the port of loading for a day or two to ensure that the commodity has no hazardous implications.”

“Charcoal is not hazardous,” but he explained that because of the heat during these summer months, the commodity was not allowed enough time to cool off before sail.

As a result, fire broke out engulfing the entire vessel which later sank in the sea, said Yusuf also adding, another aspect to be carefully observed is not over loading the vessel with cargo.