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Fire Cleanup Underway as Blaze Continues to Smolder in Bulker’s Cargo Hold

bulker
Blaze was reproted bruning in one of the bulker's cargo holds

Published Jan 31, 2025 6:53 PM by The Maritime Executive


Fire crews at the Port of Aberdeen in Scotland have spent several days battling a cargo hold fire aboard a Panama-flagged bulker docked in the port. The ship and the port are reported to be in no immediate danger as several fire departments and specialist teams worked to extinguish the blaze.

The Japanese-owned bulker Lowlands Diamond, a Handymax bulker (39,996 dwt) reported the fire to the local authorities on Monday, January 27, as the ship was making its way to the South Harbor at the Port of Aberdeen. Local media showed pictures of multiple fire engines alongside on the dock assisting with the stubborn fire.

A spokesperson for the fire department said the blaze was contained to a cargo hold on the vessel which was built in 2023. She is approximately 600 feet (183 meters) in length and was reported operating under a time charter to Coblefret.

 

 

Fire officials did not report what was burning but said it was a “complex and unusual” operation that they expected would last for days. They later said it would require removing the burning cargo from the hold. 

The local Press & Journal newspaper today published pictures of boxes or bales saying it was “charred cargo” from the vessel. It was cordoned off by a ring of shipping containers. Another report said there were “heaps of burnt cargo being removed from the vessel.”

The Port of Aberdeen issued a statement saying it was coordinating with the fire teams and thanked them for their effort. They reported operations at the South Harbor had not been disrupted by the fire.