The management of Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited has said there was no vessel that caught fire at Lagos Port.
The statement of the company which is one of the subsidiaries of the Sifax Group, is coming on the heels of reports in a section of the media (not Maritime Bits) that a vessel in the nation’s seaports situated in Lagos has caught fire.
While stating that that there was no truth in the report, the company gave an insight to the true position of things.
According to it, our attention has been drawn to some misleading reports in the press after a fire incident at a terminal operated by one of our subsidiaries, Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
Continuing, it said: “At about 12:30 pm on Thursday, July 20, 2023, one of our equipment, a shore crane, developed a sudden technical fault and before anything could be done to fix it, it went up in flames. There was a quick response from all stakeholders which resulted in putting out the fire as soon as possible, even though substantial damage was done to the equipment.
“Normalcy was returned to the terminal after containing the fire and our operations resumed. The vessel at berth as at the time of the incident was not affected by the fire while containers, both those on board the vessel as well as other consignments at the terminal, were not affected also. There was no loss of life, as the operator working on the affected equipment was safely rescued without any injury.
“The said equipment as well as all other equipment and facilities at the terminal are all insured. As a company, we are committed to operational excellence in a safe and secure environment for the collective good of all our stakeholders – customers, agents, staff, regulators and the general public. We urge the public to disregard any sensational reports on the incident and stay with the facts as stated here”.
The statement which was signed by the Group Head, Corporate Communications, Sifax Group, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akande and made available to Maritime Bits, urged the press to please ensure their reports are accurate so members of the public are not misled and create unnecessary panic in the industry and beyond.
The company also expressed what it called “our sincere appreciation” to individuals and organisations that reacted swiftly to the emergency situation.
These include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Master and crew of MV Argeciras Express, Lagos State Fire Service team as well as the staff of Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited.
