NATION
Fire hits motor tanker, 2 crew members injured
Coast Guard officers confirmed that open flames on the ship’s bridge and superstructure had been extinguished by Wednesday evening, though smoke continued to billow from the lower compartments.
Two crew members sustained injuries after a fire broke out inside the engine room of a motor tanker anchored near the Balayan Distillery Inc. port in Barangay Talisay on Wednesday afternoon.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the vessel, identified as the motor tanker MTKR Gindara, was carrying molasses and had 22 crew members on board when the blaze started at around 4 p.m. during offloading operations at the jetty.
Emergency response teams from Coast Guard Sub-Station Lemery, the Bureau of Fire Protection in Calaca City, and local commercial tugboats deployed to the area to initiate firefighting operations following a notification from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Twenty crew members were evacuated without injury.
One injured crewman was admitted to the Metro Lemery Medical Center for continued treatment, while another was treated for smoke inhalation at Metro Calaca Hospital and subsequently released.
The Coast Guard deployed additional personnel from District Southern Tagalog, medical teams, and the 44-meter multi-role response vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) to assist in extinguishing the fire and secure the surrounding waters.
Coast Guard officers confirmed that open flames on the ship’s bridge and superstructure had been extinguished by Wednesday evening, though smoke continued to billow from the lower compartments.
Meantime, the Maritime Safety Investigation Unit has launched an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess potential structural damage.