Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that his office has submitted a proposal to the chief executive to improve offshore fire fighting following a huge blaze that damaged six fishing boats in the Inner Harbour in April.
Wong made the remarks during yesterday’s plenary Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle.
The fire, which resulted in a string of blasts, occurred during this year’s three-and-a-half-month fishing moratorium. It started on a fishing boat in the Inner Harbour, causing five other vessels moored together to catch fire one after another, followed by a series of explosions later because the gas cylinders on board had not yet been cleared. Five of the boats sank. They have meanwhile been salvaged. Only one person sustained minor injuries during the massive blaze.
Wong said his bureau has “profoundly reviewed” the situation and has submitted the proposal for a more efficient offshore fire-fighting plan, taking into account the fact that there is currently only one vessel in Macau capable of tackling fires offshore, suggesting the purchase of new fireboats – one large vessel and two medium-sized ones – to be on standby in the Inner Harbour and at Taipa Ferry Terminal.
Wong said he expected the three fireboats to be operational within two years.
The Public Security portfolio has faced criticisms for its offshore fire-fighting methods, such as failing to fight fires up close and only hosing them from a distance, which in the April incident led to the fires reigniting overnight, and failing to remove the gas cylinders left inside the fishing boats, which caused a series of explosions.
Wong said that the Fire Services Bureau (CB) officers has recommend the purchase of heavy-duty fire-fighting robots with long-range fire-fighting equipment, in response to the criticisms that the bureau did not have sufficient equipment to put out the fire in the Inner Harbour, especially as the fire hoses did not have enough range to fight the fire.
Wong said that the government was also proposing to amend the law regulating fire prevention measures for fishing boats, such as limiting the number of gas cylinders on board when the boat is anchored for a long period of time, and making it mandatory for the fisherfolks to keep at least one member aboard each fishing boat all the time.
Wong said it was “unrealistic” for more fire-fighters to be tasked with offshore fire-fighting, as there were already two teams from the Fire Services Bureau doing the job, as this would result in duplication and waste of human resources. Instead, Wong said, all relevant departments should improve their own rescue capabilities to increase the overall capacity of offshore fire rescue.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak (fourth from right), accompanied by senior officials from his portfolio, addresses yesterday’s plenary Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle. Photo: Ginnie Liang
