DUBAI – A fire that broke out on a container ship in the main port here following an explosion has been bought under control with no casualties reported, said the emirate’s media office today.
At least three residents in the area of the blast, the cause of which remains unknown, reported doors and windows in their homes were shaken as a result of the incident.
“A fire caused by an explosion within a container on board a ship at Jebel Ali Port has been brought under control; no casualties have been reported,” tweeted the Dubai Media Office.
The vessel had been preparing to dock, it added in another post.
The post was accompanied by video of firefighters tackling the fire on a large vessel stacked with containers, identical except for their logos, as the flames scattered detritus over the quayside.
An AFP correspondent at the scene said there was a helicopter circling overhead as smoke rose from the tightly secured facility.
The port is capable of handling aircraft carriers, and was the United States (US) Navy’s busiest port of call outside of the US in 2017, according to the US Congressional Research Service.
The port authority said it is “taking all necessary measures to ensure the normal movement of ships in the port continues without any disruption”, according to the media office.
Such events are a rarity in the ultra-secure Gulf emirate, one of seven which make up the wealthy United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Saw the windows shaking”
“I was outside on my balcony. My friend saw something yellow coming (like) the sun. I took the picture, and after (there was) a sound,” said intern Clemence Lefaix, who is staying near the blast site and posted a photo of a bright orange light against the night sky in front of apartment buildings.
A resident of the Marina district, close to the Jebel Ali port, said they “saw the windows shaking”.
“I have been living here for 15 years and this is the first time I have seen and heard this.”
There are 8,000 companies based at the Jebel Ali Free Zone, which contributed 23% of the gross domestic product in Dubai last year. It is the largest trade zone in the Middle East.
The glitzy Gulf emirate of Dubai transformed itself over 50 years from a sleepy port town to a regional travel, trade and financial services centre.
The city state is now home to more than three million people, mostly foreigners, compared with only 15,000 inhabitants in the 1950s.
Unlike Abu Dhabi, the leading member of the UAE that sits on a large wealth of petroleum, Dubai has dwindling oil resources and worked to develop non-oil industries, diversifying into services. – AFP, July 8, 2021
