Aratu de Candeias ship explosion: ‘I saw a fireball and black smoke rising’

An explosion on a ship at around 12:00 pm on September 9th, at the Port of Aratu de Candeias frightened residents of the quilombo community of Boca do Rio. According to the Brazilian Navy, the fire was controlled by the personnel on board, there were no injuries, and there were no signs of water pollution.

According to the Navy, the case took place on the oil tanker Forte de São Marcos which is docked at the Aratu Port Terminal. Immediately, an armored naval inspection launch was deployed from Aratu Naval Base to the site.

The causes and responsibilities of the explosion will be determined in an Administrative Inquiry instituted by the Brazilian Navy.

In a statement, CODEBA (the docks company of the state of Bahia) said that this was an isolated explosion that occurred during the degassing process of the ship’s tanks, which precedes all gas receiving operations.

According to CODEBA, all security protocols in the port area were followed. The company that owns the ship reported to the company that there were no casualties and that, because the tanks contain only nitrogen (inert gas), there is no risk of a new explosion. Elcano, the company responsible for the ship, stated that the explosion occurred before the vessel entered a loading operation.

Source: G1

To read the full original article, visit the link:

https://g1.globo.com/ba/bahia/noticia/2021/09/09/acidente-com-navio-no-porto-de-aratu.ghtml

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