Cargo Ship Fire Blankets English City in Smoke

 

Residents in Hull on the east coast of England are complaining of smoky conditions and a strong smell with some businesses in the city center reporting they were remaining closed while the police have also closed roads and are warning motorists to use caution. It is all due to a smoky fire that started at mid-morning on a cargo ship docked at the port’s Albert Dock.

Humberside Fire and Rescue reports it dispatched four engines and a ladder platform to the scene, and they are working the smoky fire aboard a small dry bulk cargo ship named Altay. Ambulances and the Hull Coastguard Rescue Team were also on hand.

“Due to the wind, smoke from the incident is drifting into Hull city center. We’re asking people to keep windows and doors closed and to be mindful of the smoke if you’re out and about and avoid the area near the dock,” the fire service wrote in a public notice.

 

 

The vessel had arrived from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands on Monday, June 23. It is 8,814 dwt and registered in the Marshall Islands. Records show it has been owned by a Turkish company since 2017.

The police reported that everyone aboard the vessel has been accounted for and there are no reports of injuries. The vessel was transporting scrap metal and they believe the fire began in the cargo hold.

Altay was cited for several deficiencies, including maintenance of life saving, readiness of life saving equipment, and lack of training as it related to bridge operations during an October 2024 Port State inspection in Venice, Italy. It resulted in a two-day detention, but since then, the vessel has been inspected in Boulogne, France with a clean report.