Cargo vessel catches fire; no one injured

CEBU, Philippines - A Manila-bound cargo vessel caught fire yesterday afternoon but no one was reported injured.

Agapito Bibat, District Commander of the Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, said they received the alarm at around 2:30 in the afternoon and put the fire under control at 3:20 p.m.

Bibat said that seven fire trucks responded to the alarm coming from MV Manila Bay 1.

Initial investigation revealed that the fire started inside the vessel’s engine room.

“Mao pa na ang among initial investigation kay di pa masulod ang engine room kay init pa kaayo. We will resume the investigation tomorrow. Hopefully, di na init ang engine room,” said Bibat.

The cargo vessel was supposed to travel to Manila the other night but postponed its voyage due to super typhoon Lawin.

It was docked at pier 7 in Mandaue City when the fire broke out. It was supposed to leave the port at 4:00 p.m. yesterday.

Bibat said that because of the fire incident, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) suspended the vessel’s cargo safety certificate.

Bibat added that a certificate of seaworthiness will only be issued once Marina’s inspection would reveal that the vessel is safe to travel again. (FREEMAN)