Fire Crews Battling Large Scrap Metal Fire on Bulker in Gdansk

A large, smoky fire was reported aboard a bulker loading in the Port of Gdansk, Poland, on Thursday evening. There was a large ongoing response involving fireboats and crews onshore while residents complained of smoke blanketing the city.

The Panama-flagged bulker Sion Star (237,152 dwt) was loading scrap metal at the terminal when the fire was reported on Thursday evening, July 2. Crews said it was a difficult, stubborn fire because of the depth of the cargo holds and the densely packed nature of the cargo.

At its peak, the fire departments reported that around 100 firefighters and 27 fire engines were being deployed. Pictures showed fireboats alongside spraying foam on the fire. They were also cooling the ship’s fuel tanks as a precaution. They were also using a thermal camera to locate the center of the fire.

The decision was made to begin offloading some of the scrap metal to get to the center of the fire. The fire department reported by late morning on Friday that it had reached the fire, and it was not spreading. A commander from the State Fire Service said they were not sure if the source of the fire was oily scrap metal or other flammable materials aboard the ship.

By Friday afternoon, crews reported the fire had been extinguished. The offloading of material, however, was continuing.