Berthed boxship catches fire following explosion in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port

A blast and a subsequent fire occurred on board a container vessel while it was berthed at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, UAE, on Wednesday, July 7.

The incident on the unidentified vessel occurred at around 23:55 local time after a container laden with flammable materials exploded, igniting a fire that quickly spread to the 129 other containers that were on board the same vessel.

The crew were safely evacuated as responding firefighting teams worked to contain the blaze, which authorities said was extinguished within hours.

Reports claimed the explosion was heard from as far as 22 kilometres away.

There were no injuries among the crew or the emergency responders. Also, port authorities said normal vessel traffic in the area was not disrupted even as efforts were focused on firefighting and rescue operations.

An investigation is ongoing to identify the cause of the explosion.