SA watchdog assists vessel fire inquiry

A PROBE into what sparked a fire on board the APL Austria is under way as the South African maritime watchdog partners with the Liberian marine authority to find answers.

Yesterday, authorities said mop-up operations were still ongoing and an official investigation had been launched.

The 300m container vessel docked at the Port of Ngqura on Monday following a distress call.

By Wednesday, the blaze had been extinguished but the cargo hold – from where the fire originated – was filled with water, reaching a depth of 12m, equivalent to that of four containers.

One of the containers that caught alight contained candles while another two appear to have contained 25kg bags of rice.

SA Maritime Safety Authority Captain Nigel Campbell said while the investigation was under way he did not want to speculate on the cause of the fire.

Campbell said two fire experts have since gained entry to the cargo hold where the fire started to try to establish the origin.

“No visual structural damages to the cargo hold [have been noted] at this stage,” he said.

No timeline can be given as to when the mop-up operation or investigation will be complete. — TMG