A Norden ultramax bulker has suffered a cargo hold fire while loading a shipment of scrap metal at the UK port of Southampton.
The fire broke out on the 62,625-dwt Nord Baltic (built 2018) on Friday evening, local emergency services confirmed via social media.
“The incident was scaled down overnight with the ship’s fire suppression system in use,” Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement issued Saturday.
“One fire appliance remains this morning to monitor the temperature, with a number of fire engines expected to return to the scene this afternoon, working alongside the ship’s crew to ensure the fire is fully extinguished.”
The fire was detected within an 8,000-tonne pile of scrap metal, onboard the ship, authorities said.
Local scrap metal exporter S Norton, which is based at the King George V Dry Dock at Western Avenue, also issued a statement.
“We can confirm that there was a fire on board the Nord Baltic at our Southampton site which began at approximately 7.30pm (1930 GMT). The fire was brought under control by 9.30pm (2130 GMT),” it said.
“The Fire & Rescue service remained on site, with the assistance of our operators, to ensure all the burning material had been extinguished.”
S Norton said it would be “working closely” with the relevant bodies to investigate and determine the cause of the fire.
“Our emergency action plan was promptly implemented, and the fire was handled promptly and professionally by the fire services, in conjunction with the ship’s crew and our own teams who are trained if such instances occur,” the company said.
“We wish to thank all concerned including the Fire Service, ABP, Solent Stevedores and Norton’s own staff for their response to this incident.
“In the meantime, we can assure the public, our neighbours and our supply chain that we have taken all reasonable actions to continue to operate safely and recycle responsibly, and that our facilities are therefore open as usual.”
