Squid fishing boat of Nghe An fishermen burned down, estimated damage of more than 10 billion VND

At around 7am on May 27, the squid fishing boat with code NA 99389 owned by Mr. Vo Van Thuong (residing in Quynh Lap, Hoang Mai town, Nghe An), was docking at Ky Ha fishing port (Tam Quang commune, Nui Thanh district, Quang Nam) when it suddenly caught fire. The initial fire broke out in the engine compartment of the boat, with smoke dozens of meters high.

Speaking to Nghe An Newspaper reporter, Mr. Huynh Van Dinh - Chairman of Tam Quang Commune People's Committee said that because there was a lot of oil and flammable objects on the ship, about 30 minutes later, the fire quickly spread throughout the entire ship. The column of fire was more than 20 meters high.

Mr. Thuong's squid fishing boat had just docked to refuel when the incident happened. Photo: HT

The fire department then mobilized 5 fire trucks to coordinate with forces including the coast guard, border guards, police, militia and local people to put out the fire.

The fire was brought under control at 8:30. However, the ship was almost completely burned down. Initial damage estimates were over 10 billion VND. At the time of the incident, in addition to Mr. Thuong, there were 3 other crew members on board. Luckily, they were not injured.

Fire trucks quickly arrived but the entire ship was burned down after the fire was brought under control. Photo: HT

According to Mr. Thuong, his boat was fishing for squid in the Hoang Sa waters. Three days ago, he docked the boat at the coast of Quang Nam to load goods as well as refuel and ice to continue sailing.

Authorities determined that the initial cause of the fire was suspected to be an electrical short circuit in the ship's engine room.