A fire incident involving the cargo ship CHANG MIN disrupted operations at Apapa Port in Lagos on Friday, as some sections of the vessel were reportedly engulfed in flames.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, and obtained by The PUNCH.
According to LASEMA, the ship was loaded with various goods, including CNG trucks, wooden products, tyres, and other highly combustible materials.
Advertisement
READ MORE: Eight Illegal Refining Sites Dismantled In Delta
The agency stated that the fire was brought under control through a joint effort involving officials from the LASEMA Response Team, Onipanu, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Nigerian Ports Authority Fire Unit.
“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 part.
It added that preliminary investigations by emergency responders at the scene indicated that the fire broke out during the unloading process, although the exact cause had not been determined at the time of reporting.
The statement also confirmed that no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded, as all crew members on board were safely 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 further highlighted that an agreed fire response strategy was implemented to tackle the blaze in the safest possible manner, minimise secondary incidents, and protect the lives of emergency personnel.
“A fire response plan was agreed upon by emergency responders 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.”
LASEMA confirmed that the fire has been fully extinguished and that the recovery operation has now been completed.
