Ship on Fire Floats Close to the Coast

ZaMirZine

07 February 2008

The fire that started on the Turkish ship Und Adriyatica yesterday morning, some 15 miles east off Rovinj, still burns, although it has lost much of its power. Experts estimate that there is little chance for explosion that could sink the ship. No pollution was released into the sea, so far.

Trawlers fight the fire on Und Adriyatik (Photo: Cropix)

Two trawlers from Rijeka used water cannons during the night to cool down the hull, preventing it from opeing up. Representatives of a Dutch company specialized in maritime fire-fighting and salvage operations, contracted by the ship�s owner, inspected the ship last night and will decide, in cooperation with Croatian colleagues, when to tow the vessels away to a haven port.

According to competen authorities, the probability of the ship sinking is very small, and the danger of explosion is similarly insignificant, because most of the cargo has already burned down. Just in case, eco-barriers were placed earlier today to prevent any possibility for a spill.

The wind blowing from the sea and the stream took the ship dangerously close to the coast of Istria, just five nautical miles from the Brioni Archipelago, but the seaward wind that started during the night prevented it from reaching the coast and pushed it back towards the open sea.

The Und Adriyatic transported 200 lorries and 9 tons of hazardous cargo. The fire started early on Wednesday morning, 13 nautical miles west of Rovinj, on the border of Croatian territorial waters and the Protected Environmental and Fishing Zone (ZERP).