The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) said in a statement yesterday that as of yesterday, four of the six fishing boats who were ablaze on Monday were in “stable condition”, while the other two were still emitting white smoke.
The statement said that the bureau was continuing to shoot water at the two smouldering boats. The bureau said it has vessels and officials on stand-by for 24 hours in case of an emergency.
The statement also said that it had set up oil spill containment booms around the boats to clean up the oil spillage. The statement added that some of the oil has already reached Patane North Bay. The statement said that the bureau has already collected samples of the water off Fai Chi Kei and in the Inner Harbour, pointing out that besides the excessive amount of oil, the water quality was normal.
Meanwhile, the statement said that the bureau has already dispatched officials to inspect the only boat that was not gutted by the blaze. The statement added that the bureau’s officials will be watching CCTV footage, and checking radar and communication logs, as well as questioning members of the fishing community to gain a better understanding of the cause of the catastrophe. The statement underlined that as the remaining five sunken boats have been completely gutted, it would be more difficult for DSAMA officials to investigate the matter.
This undated handout photo provided by the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) yesterday shows the five fishing boats gutted by Monday’s huge blaze near Ponte 16 hotel with oil booms set up around them.
