Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Director Susana Wong Soi Man said yesterday that the blaze and explosions that gutted six fishing boats on April 25 in the Inner Harbour were possibly the result of a short circuit that caused the initial fire, adding that she believed it was probably an accident and, consequently, not “man-made”.
Wong talked to reporters yesterday about the follow-up work and measures related to last month’s Inner Harbour fire after a regular Macao Water Convenes Customer Liaison Group Meeting at MGM Macau in Nape.
Wong said that after talking with the vessels’ owners, the bureau has preliminarily confirmed that the fire was caused by a broken electrical appliance, adding that the damaged fishing boats are now anchored at Doca da Ilha Verde (青洲塘) after the salvage works to allow the owners to clean up the vessels. She added that some of the boat owners have contacted mainland shipyards for repairs.
Wong said that during the process of lifting the boats, measures such as setting oil booms were carried out to prevent oil leaks to minimise the impact on the surrounding environment.
Wong underlined that the bureau’s officials will inspect all vessels in the Inner Harbour next week to check if any hazardous goods are stored on the boats, and to remove all those that could pose a safety threat. At the same time, she said, the officials will discuss with the owners the safety measures, in order to ensure that there are enough fire extinguishers on their vessels.
Meanwhile, Wong said that her bureau has visited a fishing harbour in Zhuhai to learn about the authorities’ vessel management measures, adding that DSAMA officials will reinforce the existing measures in Inner Harbour after discussions with the local fishermen’s association, in order to improve the daily management of the fishing industry. Wong added that her bureau is considering changing the vessels’ way of berthing from chains to groups, as well as taking reference from Zhuhai where it is forbidden to take liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) onto the boats and firemen are required to disconnect the electricity when nobody is on board.
In addition, Wong said that the local vessel owners can apply for the loans from the Fisheries Development and Support Fund, if needed, but she was quick to add that only one of the affected vessels is a local boat, while the others are registered in Hong Kong.
No-one was killed and only one minor injury was reported in last month’s huge blaze in the Inner Harbour in which five of the six affected boats sank. All the badly damaged boats have meanwhile been salvaged by the local authorities.
Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Director Susana Wong Soi Man (left) talks to reporters about the follow-up measures after last month’s Inner Harbour blaze, on the sidelines of yesterday’s Macao Water Convenes Customer Liaison Group Meeting at MGM Macau in Nape. Photo: Yuki Lei
