A fire incident broke out aboard a cargo vessel named CHANG MIN while it was anchored at a terminal within the Apapa Port in Lagos on Friday, raising concerns due to the highly flammable nature of its cargo.
According to a statement on Saturday by Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), emergency teams responded swiftly to the distress call.
The ship was said to be carrying goods including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks, tyres, wooden materials, and other items considered highly combustible. The fire reportedly started during offloading operations, although the exact cause had not been determined as at the time of the report.
The statement reads, “Following distress alerts at 1755hrs, the Lagos State Emergency Management (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.
“Preliminary investigations conducted by Emergency responders at the scene revealed that the fire was observed at the point of unloading and the cause is yet to be ascertained at time of report.
“No life was lost and no injuries were sustained to anyone as all seafarers on board have been 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;
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 since been completely put out, and recovery operations have been successfully wrapped up.