On Thursday, July 3, 2025, a fire broke out aboard the decommissioned supertanker while it was undergoing dismantling at the Simsekler shipbreaking yard in the Aliağa Port of İzmir, Turkey.
Immediate Response
A decommissioned supertanker caught fire on July 3, 2025, while undergoing dismantling at a shipbreaking yard. The incident, which began around 11:00 a.m., prompted an immediate and extensive response from local fire brigades and six fireboats, with fortunately no injuries reported.
Thick black smoke billowed from the 349-meter-long vessel, necessitating the evacuation of the ship and nearby areas of the yard. Firefighting teams, working tirelessly from both land and sea, managed to bring the flames under control through the night. Cooling efforts on the vessel are still underway as authorities remain cautious due to the persistent fear of possible explosions.
A key concern for firefighters was the potential for blasts caused by trapped gases or leftover chemicals inside the ship, leading them to avoid aerial suppression. The tanker, originally built in Italy in 1973, served as a commercial vessel for 16 years before being converted into a floating storage unit (FSO) off the coast of Libya in 1989. It operated until its decommissioning in 2017. Since then, the vessel has been considered unstable and structurally weakened, increasing the risks associated with its dismantling.
Vessel Acquisition and Controversy
The Turkish ship dismantling firm purchased the vessel on 16 February 2023. Just a week later, on February 23, 2023, the Aliağa Regional Port Authority granted permission for the vessel to dock at the Aliağa Ship Recycling Zone, where it has since remained grounded for dismantling.
From the outset, the vessel’s presence has been met with significant controversy. Environmental groups have vehemently claimed that the vessel was used to store hazardous chemical waste during its previous life in Libya and alleged that as much as 6,000 tons of such waste might still be on board. However, the recycling company has consistently denied these claims, asserting that the ship was not primarily used as a chemical waste storage unit but rather for crude oil.
Photographs from the dismantling yard reveal that the ship’s forward section had already been removed, with large parts of the vessel visibly opened. Despite this, the stern section remained largely intact when the fire broke out.
Firefighting Challenges and Safety Concerns
The firefighting efforts were severely complicated by the risk of leftover substances and explosive vapors within the ship’s structure. Safety crews were reportedly ordered to avoid close contact with the vessel due to these hazards.
A union group has called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident, particularly questioning the circumstances under which dismantling work was permitted. They highlighted that work had been authorized earlier in the year only after the vessel was supposedly “cleaned out.” The union has strongly demanded that all operations at the site be suspended until it can be definitively confirmed that the worksite is safe for both the workers and the surrounding environment.
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Source: Marine Insight
