Bomba still fighting fire aboard cargo ship in Port Klang after four days

Bomba still fighting fire aboard cargo ship in Port Klang after four days
11 Apr 2021 https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/04/11/bomba-still-fighting-f...

KLANG: Efforts are still ongoing to put out a fire on a cargo vessel here that has been burning for over four days.

The Singaporean-registered Interasia Catalyst was ordered back to port on Wednesday (April 7) after smoke was detected from several containers stacked on its deck.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said operations were still ongoing.

"As of 11am Sunday (April 11), firemen have put out fires in six of the 11 containers.

"Firemen are concentrating on two containers carrying raw materials for yarn and one carrying plastic resin," he said on Sunday.

He said tugboats have been deployed to help cool some containers filled with sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate.

Norazam said they were facing many challenges and hazards fighting the fire.

"Our personnel are working in tight spaces in between containers, with up to five units stacked on top of each other.

"On top of that, we don't know exactly what is inside these containers and permission must be obtained before we can open them.

"We are also facing a language barrier as most of the crew are not fluent in English," he said.

It was reported that the container vessel sailing from Port Klang to Cochin in Kerala, India, was ordered to return to port after smoke was detected coming from several containers stacked on its deck.

The Malaysian Maritime Department said it had been informed of the mishap on board the Interasia Catalyst by the central region Maritime Department.

Four tugboats with firefighting equipment were sent to the location to spray down the deck to cool it to buy time for the Fire Department to formulate a strategy to extinguish the fire.

An investigation team set up by the Maritime Department is determining the source of the fire together with other relevant bodies.