On 22 February, the ro-ro cargo vessel called “Volcán de Teneguía” reported a fire incident onboard, after leaving Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. In fact, the freight ship was loaded with vehicles and other cargo so as to deliver them to its final destination, Port of Cadiz, Spain.
When the fire occurred, the ro-ro vessel had no choice but to return back to Port of Santa Cruz, which had barely left an hour before the fire incident present.
The fire was detected at the north coast of Tenerife, and was immediately controlled by the Salvamar Maritime rescue ship “Punta Salinas”, who managed to put it out.
As the firefighters team successfully handled the situation, the Volcán de Teneguía was taken and towed back to Port of Santa Cruz, which is now escorted by two tugs.
According to several reports, 19 crememebers and one passenger were onboard at the time of the incident. At the moment, there were no any accidents or pollution reported, as the extent of damage is still unknown.
Overall, fires are a common-seen phenomenon onboard ships. In light of the situation, TT Club’s risk management director Peregrine Storrs-Fox discussed about the industry’s evolution on dealing with fires onboard containerships and what the industry does to address the issue.
