Fire breaks out on MSC container ship in Colombo

Firefighters of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Fire Brigade successfully extinguished the fire that broke around 00,30 hours on Sunday in the container vessel MSC Capetown III at the Port of Colombo.

A sudden fire broke out while the vessel was berthed at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) Berth IV.

All operations staff and crew were safely evacuated from the ship. According to the SLPA’s statement, the fire has been completely extinguished.

The MSC Capetown III had called at the Port of Colombo from the Port of Singapore. The vessel was scheduled to unload 995 containers and load 880 containers at the port.

The Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, has instructed the Chairman of SLPA, Keith D. Bernard, to conduct a full investigation into this incident. He also thanked and commended the immediate response and precautionary measures taken by the SLPA Fire Brigade to extinguish the fire completely.

The Chairman of SLPA said that the fire aboard the ship had been quickly doused by the SLPA Fire Brigade. “An investigation into the incident was launched,” he said. The Chairman also stated that a comprehensive report on the incident would be prepared, and the insurers would also conduct their inquiries.