Dubai court upholds jail for 5 after DH24M damage in Jebel Ali blaze

The Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling by a Court of First Instance, which sentenced a ship captain and four others to jail for one month for their negligence that caused fire onboard a ship anchored at Jebel Ali port.

The fire gutted containers containing various materials and damaged part of the port berth — as well as loading and unloading machines — with losses amounting to Dh24 million.

The court also convicted four shipping companies — one of which owned the gutted ship — and ruled that they be fined Dh100,000 each. It also referred the civil case to the competent court.

In July 2021, a fire broke out on a ship anchored at one of the docks in the port of Jebel Ali. Authorities rushed to extinguish it, as civil defence cadres managed to control it after 40 minutes. No deaths were recorded, although some Asian sailors sustained minor injuries.

According to the case file and the report of Dubai Police's forensic laboratory, the fire was a result of negligence and lack of compliance with the safety procedures listed in the Environment, Health and Safety Management Law.

The shippers did not verify the quality and quantity of the packages used and their suitability for transporting hazardous materials, in addition to keeping the containers filled with hazardous materials under the sun for 21 days at temperatures of 44°C.

The report stated that 640 barrels containing hazardous material were inside the containers, which should have been kept intact and sealed throughout the journey.

The report showed the failure of the shipper, the sea carrier, as well as the owners of the ship, to coordinate with each other in delivering containers of dangerous goods in a timely manner.