Ro/Ro Freighter Catches Fire in Philippines
On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard helped put out a fire aboard a ro/ro during loading operations at the port of Abra de Ilog, about 70 nautical miles south of Manila.
At about 0900 hours Tuesday, the Roro Master 2 was loading passengers and cargo for a routine transit to Batangas, Luzon. A fire broke out in a generator on deck near the fantail, inside a vehicle bay. 33 passengers were on board at the time, along with 34 crewmembers and 21 trucks.
Courtesy PCG
The Philippine Coast Guard outpost at Abra de Ilog responded to the scene after receiving a report of an ongoing fire. In the meantime, the ship's crew began firefighting measures, applying water to the burning generator. PCG officers worked with the local Philippine Ports Authority office to find extra firefighting equipment, but the situation was under control and the fire extinguished by 0920.
No injuries or casualties were reported. The PCG has recommended detaining the vessel for a thorough safety inspection.
Roro Master 2 is an open deck roll-on / roll-off cargo vessel with a bow ramp and a house-aft arrangement. It does not appear in international shipping databases, as is common for coastal vessels in Southeast Asian trades.
Video: Feeder Suffers Explosion and Fire in the North Sea
Dutch responders have successfully extinguished a vessel fire after an explosion aboard a boxship off Hoek van Holland.
At about 1300 hours local time, the Dutch coast guard received an alert of a blast aboard the small container feeder Victoria L, which was headed for Rotterdam on a ballast voyage. The crew was engaged in fighting the resulting fire, and no injuries were reported.
After initial gains in combating the blaze, the fire reflashed at about 1330 hours. A fire crew from shore joined the ship by helicopter to assist in the effort, and multiple response boats arrived on scene, including the tug Multraship Protector and two lifeboats of the KNRM rescue service. Video from the scene released late Wednesday appeared to show the boxship trimmed heavily by the stern and pumping water over the side.
As of Wednesday evening, the fire was extinguished and the first responders disembarked the vessel. Victoria L is expected to resume her voyage to Rotterdam under her own power.
It is the second major casualty involving a feeder in European coastwise trade in as many months, following the allision of the boxship Solong with the tanker Stena Immaculate off the UK in March.
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