Dubai: 5 jailed for negligence that caused ship fire, destroyed Dh24 million worth of goods

Vessel's captain, four others sentenced to month in prison and three-year job suspension

Afkar Ali Ahmed

Published: Thu 18 Aug 2022, 11:47 AM

Last updated: Thu 18 Aug 2022, 2:29 PM

An Asian ship captain, 43, and four others were convicted of negligence that caused a fire to break out on board a vessel and destroy Dh24 million worth of goods.

Dubai Misdemeanours and Violations Court also convicted them of causing damage to a berth at Jebel Ali Port and sentenced the group to one month in prison and a three-year job suspension.

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Four shipping companies, one of which owns the ship that caught fire, were also fined Dh100,000; their case was referred to Dubai's Civil Court.

Firefighters managed to control the fire, which broke out in July last year, in under 40 minutes.

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According to forensic reports, the blaze was caused by not observing safety measures set forth by Dubai's Environment, Health and Safety Management System. Those involved were found not to have checked the quantity, validity and quality of the shipping containers they used to transport dangerous materials; they also left the containers at Jebel Ali Port for 21 days at a temperature of 44°C.

Neither those involved nor the ship's captain abided by the Hazardous Substances Code either, which mandates the separation of containers with dangerous materials to control the spread of fires if they do break out.