MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Korean fishing vessel fire in Falklands waters
Falkland Islands fire fighters fought a blaze on board a Korean fishing vessel on Sunday night.
Government Airport Fire Officer Andrew Miller told Mercopress, "We had a call just before 8pm last night to what was described as a small panel fire on board the Ocean No 8."By the time the crew of four arrived at the scene in Berkeley Sound, the main transhipping area on East Falklands, the wheel house and foredeck were burning ferociously all the way up to the mast. "We fought it until 3am this morning until we had the exterior under control, but there's still a fire inside. Two separate crews have been back and have mainly been involved in boundary cooling." This process involves spraying water on the exterior to create steam inside the vessel which should eventually extinguish the fire. "It's still too dangerous to get on board," confirmed Fire Officer Miller. It is hoped that a crew will be able to board the vessel tomorrow (Tuesday). The Ocean No 8was tied up to a reefer when the fire started. The captain, who reported the fire, pulled away and anchored further off. The vessel is currently situated in the centre of Berkeley Sound near to an area called Strike Off Point. None of the ship's crew were injured in the fire and had abandoned ship by 8.30pm Sunday night. The Falkland Islands Fire and Rescue Service have been called to a number of fishing vessel fires over the years. Two members of the service died fighting a ship's fire in the late 1980's. By Lisa Jonhston - SeAled PR - Stanley
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