Blast injures two on tanker in Ireland's Foynes Port

An explosion occurred on a berthed commercial ship at Foynes Port in County Limerick, Ireland, leaving two crewmembers with serious injuries, local officials said on Tuesday, June 24.

The incident on the Norwegian-flagged chemical tanker Bow Hercules occurred when an onboard gas cylinder exploded at around 18:30 local time on Tuesday.

The two crewmembers were performing routine maintenance on one of the ship's lifeboats and happened to be nearby when the cylinder exploded.

One individual suffered severe head injuries and was brought by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick while the other had a large chest wound and was airlifted to Cork University Hospital.

Local news outlet The Journal has identified both injured crewmembers as Filipino nationals.

Operations at Foynes Port were temporarily suspended, though operator Shannon Foynes Port Company has since issued a statement assuring that activities at the port would resume later that evening and that the relevant authorities have already begun an investigation into the incident.