4 Seafarers Injured In Cargo Ship Explosion In Gibraltar

A coal-carrying cargo ship in Gibraltar was rocked by an explosion which left 4 seafarers injured. The Hong Kong-flagged ship was passing through the Bay of Algeciras on Friday when the incident happened.

Both the port authorities of Gibraltar and Algeciras are coordinating over the accident while the Chinese Embassy in Britain has sought quick redressal. The embassy has demanded a thorough investigation to identify the causes.

Injured Seafarers Taken To Burns Unit

Gibraltar Chronicle on Friday reported that 2 injured crew members have been taken to Seville’s burns unit for the treatment of severe burn injuries.

Image Credits: Michael J Sanchez / @key2med -Twitter

The explosion affected the ship’s forecastle where the anchor was present. 4 crew members were injured. Of which 2 were treated onboard. The 2 seafarers sent to Seville burns had 40% and 25% burns respectively.

The Algeciras port had proposed a helicopter evacuation but the paramedics ultimately decided to take them to St Bernard’s Hospital, on Friday night.

The Hong Kong flagged 2020 built ship had 19 crew members of Chinese origin. The vessel last dockechronicle.gid at Baltimore port, in the US and was headed to Port Said in Egypt.

Ship Stable & Undergoing Repairing

The ship is awaiting additional crew to continue its journey. It is unable to anchor and is in contact with Gibraltar VTS.

“The vessel is stable and fully operational with the exception of its anchor equipment,” the Gibraltar Port Authority said.

“The GPA will continue to work with the ship’s crew and its agents to assist in repairs, provisioning, and if possible, anchoring.”

The coal cargo of CSSC Cape Town isn’t dangerous and will not cause any danger to the ship. The anchor system will be repaired by technicians while surveyors, flag state representatives will investigate the matter.

The Gibraltar Police boarded the ship on Friday night but couldn’t find any foul play.

“The Gibraltar Port Authority extends its gratitude to all agencies, authorities and individuals who have assisted in dealing with this incident. The GPA also extends its gratitude to the Port of Algeciras for its kind offer of assistance in dealing with the casualties sadly involved in this incident”, GPA added.

Reference: chronicle.gi

Source: Maritime Shipping News