According to local news fire on Amsterdam Bridge is completely stopped. Salvage operator is on board the vessel.
All crew safe- none injured.
Amsterdam Bridge was operating in INDFEX service calling Nhava Sheva ( JNPT) – Colombo – Singapore – Shanghai – Ningbo – Hongkong
Fire is believed to be contained.Vessel was near Prongs Reef light house when fire started. Seat of fire is believed to be in hold no. 3.
Coast Guard , Indian Navy and ONGC vessels are engaged in fire fighting.
According to Truthdive.com Deputy Inspector General, Coast Guard (West), Manoj Vasant Baadkar stated “Some containers carry dangerous cargo, we call them HNS, hazardous noxious substances. The master of the vessel did not know the exact nature of the cargo, but we found that the ship was carrying petrol, inflammable gas and turpentine. There was an explosion deep in the cargo hold that caused the fire,”
Wonder how Master is not aware of Dangerous goods Containers and locations. No Manifest given to vessel after JNPT cargo operations??
IMDG Code requires each ship to carry a special list or manifest showing the details of dangerous goods and marine pollutants with stowage location. This is the requirement of SOLAS Chapter VII Part A Regulation 4.5 quoted below
Each ship carrying dangerous goods in packaged form shall have a special list or manifest setting forth, in accordance with the classification set out in the IMDG Code, the dangerous goods on board and the location thereof. A detailed stowage plan, which identifies by class and sets out the location of all dangerous goods on board, may be used in place of such a special list or manifest. A copy of one of these documents shall be made available before departure to the person or organization designated by the port State authority.
Who was the responsible person or organization having possession of above mentioned manifest? Why that was not immediately available to those involved in Emergency Response Measures? Why Master was not knowing the exact nature of cargo when vessel is required to have hazardous manifest and IMDG Code?
Many questions need answer to learn from this accident ;to take measures to prevent such accidents in future.
AMSTERDAM BRIDGE – A Burning Bridge at JNPT
On 09th September afternoon container vessel Amsterdam Bridge caught fire at Mumbai Harbour. Around 1700 hours with fire on board and thick smoke billowing out she moved out to anchorage most likely Master and officers doing a blind navigation.
It was so fortunate in this type of dangerous situation with much smoke making visibility of her navigators to near zero she didn’t cause collision with another vessel(s). At this time wind was SSW 16 Kts. Other vessels in the vicinity could hear Amsterdam Bridge’s Master desperately trying to get assistance from Mumbai VTS and JNPT ( Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust).
After almost 0ne and a half hour a Coast guard vessel arrived on scene followed by SCI Pawan a fire fighting tug. Even at mid night the fire was raging and fire fighting vessels in action doing FF and boundary cooling. Seat of fire is believed to be in one of the cargo holds.
It would have been a good practice if VTS is keeping a track of all fire fighting tugs in and near harbour to call them without any delay when there is a need.
From the VHF distress traffic one could make out shore side was not having any information of what dangerous goods are there on Amsterdam Bridge or the stowage locations.
News prints state Coast Guard vessels Subhadra Kumari Chouhan and Samudra Prahari is engaged in fire fighting and pollution control.
Watch video of Amsterdam Bridge steam out with thick smoke
IMDG Code Compliance Centre 