Canadian Ship Fire to Burn for Days in NSW

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On June 18, a Canadian freight ship that was docked in the New South Wales port caught fire and the firefighters are fighting hard to contain the fire.

What happened?

The freight ship ‘Iron Chieftain’ was docked in the NSW port when it caught fire. The twenty crew members present onboard the vessel escaped uninjured from the ship. The vessel was involved in unloading dolomite onto a conveyor belt at Port Kembla Harbour.

Firefighters struggle to contain fire

Around eighty firefighters from the surrounding vicinity are currently working hard to contain the fire with compressed air foam and continued to monitor the temperature of fuel tanks and the ship’s ability to remain afloat.

Fire and Rescue spokesman Paul McGuiggan said, “I am happy to report at this stage everything is intact. I’d expect us to be here for another couple of days. The one thing we don’t want to do is suddenly pack up and go because then the heat can build up and get the fire commencing again”.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority is on the scene because firefighting materials have entered the harbour from the vessel. Incoming ships to the port have been issued a warning. Booms have been put around the ship to help contain any oil or diesel spills.

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Source: 9News