Docked cargo vessel gutted in mystery fire at Old Mundra port

A Cargo vessel,anchored at the Old Mundra port,caught fire and was gutted completely on Monday morning.

A Cargo vessel,anchored at the Old Mundra port,caught fire and was gutted completely on Monday morning. The small merchant vessel,Kohinoor,had anchored at the port around 18 months ago for repair after a trip to Sharjah,said officials of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB).

The vessel caught fire around 6 am. Fire fighters rushed to the spot and tried to control the blaze but as it was a wooden craft,it burnt down, said Mundra city police sub-inspector P A Rana. The cause of the fire is still not known.

P P Mamtora,traffic inspector at GMB office in Mundra,said,When the watchman of the vessel went to start the engine to pump out water that had entered the vessel,the engine caught fire and it soon engulfed the whole craft.

Mamtora said that fire fighters from the Mundra Port Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ) and a nearby industry tried for almost six hours to douse the fire,but in vain.

The 564-tonne capacity vessel was registered with the GMB office in Mandvi in August 2000 and was jointly owned by two businessmen from Mumbai and Mandvi.

Sources in police,meanwhile,said that there was some dispute going on between the owners and that was why the vessel remained docked for more than one and a half years at the port. Police said they were seeking documents of the vessel to know if it was insured.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram