Fire Breaks Out In Engine Room Of Cargo Ship Off Taiwanese Coast, 4 Injured

An engine room fire on board the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel Panoria injured four crew members and left the ship disabled off Taiwan’s southern coast on Saturday evening.

Among the injured, one crew member suffered severe burns, while three others had minor injuries.

The fire broke out at around 5:00 p.m. when the vessel, a 50,000 dwt bulker, sailed 23 nautical miles southwest of Oluanpi, Taiwan’s southernmost point.

Although the crew managed to extinguish the fire, the ship lost power, and the captain requested immediate evacuation for all 21 crew members.

The Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) dispatched five response vessels to the scene after receiving the distress call, but waves reaching 12 feet made ship-to-ship transfers impossible.

A helicopter from the Ministry of National Defense arrived at around 7:00 p.m. and airlifted the four injured crew members to Kaohsiung International Airport. They were later transferred to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The remaining 17 crew members stayed on board due to the challenging sea conditions. On Sunday morning, the tugboat Salvage Rigger, flagged in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, set off to tow the disabled ship to safety.

The tug was accompanied by coast guard vessels to ensure safe passage. The ship was expected to reach the Port of Kaohsiung by noon Sunday with the 17 uninjured crew members still on board.

The Panoria, built in 2008 and operated by a Greek company, has faced safety issues in the past. Its last two port state control inspections France and Indonesia- revealed 19 deficiencies, including problems with the fire pumps and firefighting equipment.

Just two months ago, the ship was detained in Indonesia due to deficiencies in its firefighting systems, sewage treatment, and oil filtering equipment.

These issues were reportedly addressed in a follow-up inspection before the vessel’s departure.

The CGA reported that its Anping-class patrol vessel was the first to reach the scene at around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Despite efforts made to approach the Panoria, high waves made direct transfer unsafe.

The Maritime and Port Bureau’s Southern Maritime Affairs Center coordinated the tugboat’s deployment to assist in towing the ship.

References: Taipeitimes, taiwanenglishnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News