We learned in our previous article about handling cargo hold fire while at sea. The chances of cargo hold catching fire are equally likely at port also. It may seem quite a relief that once the ship is near port, we just need to call the fire brigade and forget about it and leave the ship to live in a hotel. Well if things were so simple, I would not be writing this article. So in this article let us learn what actions should the ship staff take in case there is a fire in a cargo hold while the ship is at port either loading or discharging cargo. These actions are necessary even if it does not seem to be a major ship fire at the first instant
Fire in a cargo hold at port does not always mean that it is safe since the ship is near land and assistance is readily available. To give you an idea of what can go wrong; I would like you to narrate an unfortunate incident where a ship carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer in cargo holds caught sudden fire and exploded killing nearly 600 people on the shore as well and shattering the window panes of nearly the entire city. You can see a picture of this incident below. Although nearly a century has passed since that incident, the very thought and sight of the same still instills fear in the mind of mariners and an instinct to respect fire and not take it lightly.
And do you know the basic cause of this disaster – sheer carelessness and lack of foresight on the part of ship staff especially the Master. He simply refused to put away the minor fire which was noted on time for the fear of spoiling the cargo which was hardly worth a few hundred dollars. So the moral of this terrible incident is – never ignore a slight cargo hold fire and deal with full seriousness.