Fire on ship forces isolating crew’s evacuation
A blaze on a ship at Napier Port sent clouds of black smoke aloft and forced crew doing their 14-day Covid-19 isolation off the vessel yesterday.
As explosions rang out, pockets of flames could be seen amid the acrid smoke bill owing across t he city. Onlookers too had to take cover inside for the sake of their health as the potentially toxic smoke filled the air.
Emergency services were called to the fire on the Kota Bahagia at 10.45am. Nineteen fire crews, including some from Palmerston North, came to fight the blaze and had it under control by 1.30pm.
A port spokeswoman said everyone was “safe and accounted for” and the ship’s crew, who were isolating under Covid rules, were among those evacuated from the area.
They had been transferred to separate facility on port, she said.
The ship’s engineer and captain stayed on board to help firefighters quell the flames.
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Nick Jones said all the crew were to be tested for Covid-19 yesterday afternoon as a precaution. He said the risk of any of the crew having the virus was low because the ship had been at sea for 17 days after leaving China.
The Kota Bahagia, a general 161m-long cargo ship built in Singapore in 2011, docked at the port at 3am on Thursday.
A witness said the ship had a number of wind turbines aboard.
Truck driver Stuart Markham, who was in a queue at the port’s container terminal yesterday, said he and six other truck drivers heard several “internal explosions” before being evacuated.
“The amount of bangs going on was unreal,” he said.
Local Bryan Edwards said he was told his newly purchased freeze dryer was part of the cargo on the ship.
“We’re told our cargo stuff is right under where the fire is. It’s disappointing to be honest,” he said.
People at the Bluff Hill lookout initially packed the viewing platform to watch the fire before the crowd began to thin as they started coughing.
“Smoke on Hornesy Rd is making it hard to breathe,” a witness said. “Our faces are beginning to sting.”
Police wearing masks urged the public to stay away from the lookout, telling those gathered there that the fumes could be toxic.
Jones encouraged nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut to keep the smoke out.
He said smoke could irritate the eyes, nose, throat and airways, but most symptoms should disappear soon after exposure. “People who have difficulty breathing, have a prolonged cough or tightness in their chest should call their GP or Healthline.”