Cargo vessel catches fire off Albay, Philippines

The Philippine Coast Guard has responded to a fire incident on board a cargo vessel in the waters off Tabaco City, Albay province, at around 08:45 local time on Monday, August 23.

The distressed vessel has been identified as Delwin Matthew, a cargo vessel owned and operated by Pherwin Shipping Corporation based in nearby Camarines Sur province.

No injuries have been reported among the vessel’s 22 crewmembers. All were safely evacuated by responding coast guard personnel, who had also assisted local firefighting units in extinguishing the blaze.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring in the galley.

The crew said they had attempted to contain the blaze using the vessel’s onboard portable fire extinguisher. However, this approach proved inadequate and the flames quickly spread to the pilothouse.

The coast guard said the fire on Delwin Matthew was finally extinguished by 11:00.