The ship was loaded with 6,000 gallons of diesel and 120 vehicles.
Published: Wed 8 May 2019, 11:59 AM
Updated: Wed 8 May 2019, 11:26 PM
The quick-acting Sharjah Civil Defence firefighters rescued a crew of 13 Indians from a burning cargo dhow anchored at Sharjah Creek near Khalid Port on Wednesday morning.
The vessel was loaded with 6,000 gallons of diesel, 120 exported vehicles and 300 vehicle tyres- all of which were gutted in the massive blaze.
No casualties have been reported as the firefighters reached the site immediately and evacuated the crew members in time, pointed out Col Sami Al Naqbi, director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence.
He added the civil defence received information about a fire breaking out in a cargo dhow, which was anchored at Sharjah Creek at 6.44am. The team reached the location within five minutes, shifted the crew to safety and contained the raging blaze in an hour. The cooling operation was completed by 2pm, he added. The rescued crew was given first aid and food.
The site has been handed over to the forensic expert of Sharjah Police to probe the reason behind the fire.
This is the third fire accident to take place at the same site. Most past fires were caused due to the crew unloading the goods and storing the inflammable materials near the cooking area or under the sun.
The civil defence, in coordination with the Sharjah Police, will study the causes of the fire in these boats and carry out awareness among the crew members of all ships anchored at Khalid Port to prevent repeat of such incidents.
"We will train them to use the extinguisher and fire-fighting equipment to douse the blaze till the fire brigade arrives at the site so as to reduce loss of life and property," Col Sami Al Naqbi underlined.
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