Another Fire Outbreak At Tema Habour

The Tema PSC Shipyard and Drydock recorded another fire outbreak on Wednesday, a little over 18 months after the Good Friday disaster last year, which claimed 18 lives and destroyed property worth millions of cedis.

The Wednesday tragedy involved an old fishing vessel, MV Hilda A, which was being cut into metal scrap by some welders.

However, unlike the Good Friday disaster, there was no casualty as all those on board the vessel managed to escape unhurt before it went ablaze.

It took a combined team of firemen from the Tema Oil Refinery, the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority two-and-a-half hours to bring the fire under control, using five fire tenders.

Briefing the Times on the incident yesterday, Mr Joseph Abraham-Reynolds, Tema Municipal NADMO Officer, said the fire was caused by sparks from an oxy-acetylene equipment being used by the welders.

Albert Kumpiel, officer in-charge of safety, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, said that as a precautionary measure, water hoses had been connected to the vessel to cool off the heat.

He said the cork linings were being removed and as soon as that was completed, the vessel would be transferred from the entrance of the spillway to the main dock where the hull will be cut into pieces.

In another incident yesterday, fire gutted a building at Tema in the Industrial Area, near the Ghana Aluminum Company and destroyed property worth about ¢400 million.

Fire personnel could not gain easy access to the building due to congestion resulting from the haphazard placing of containers stores in the area which serves as a spare parts market.

Mr Alex Akwetey, owner of the building, said the structure, besides serving as a storage for sawmill machines was also his house.