Cargo ship catches fire in Sharjah

Another fire in Sharjah but this time its a cargo ship. One crew member of a cargo ship was injured after a fire broke out on board the vessel, a civil defence official said.

“The fire broke out on board the ship at around 2.20pm, soon after it loaded its goods at Port Khalid,” said civil defence officer Colonel Mohammed Abu Taweel.

Sharjah Police said the operations control room immediately dispatched a team from Civil Defence and notified the Coastal Guards, who reached the scene to rescue the crew members on board the vessel. Col Abu Taweel said one crew member sustained minor burns and was given first aid at the scene, before being taken to Kuwait Hospital. Traffic police cordoned off the area, which created heavy traffic congestion Al Meena Road, heading towards and away from the government buildings.

“The fire took almost one hour to be extinguished because the flames were very strong, causing the rest of the cargo on board to be completely destroyed,” said Col Abu Taweel.