In two days, two fires have disrupted operations at Durban container port in South Africa.
On 7 March, state-owned ports and rail operator Transnet said that it was investigating the cause of a fire which broke out inside a container in the stacking area of Pier 2 in Durban Container Terminal.
The flames spread to three other containers in the stacking area and emergency services extinguished the fire promptly. However, operations at berths 108 and 109 were suspended until the scene was cleared. No injuries were reported.
The incident happened two days after another container from the same consignment burst into flames and was put out by emergency services. The cause of this fire is also being probed by Transnet.
It is not known if the goods were declared as dangerous cargoes and Transnet said that the shipping agent concerned would be contacted to determine the nature of the cargoes.
The port operator noted, “Each consignment that enters the port is required to be declared in terms of the IMDG codes, and a call has been made to the responsible shipping agent to establish what was in the container.”
Transnet added that it has gotten in touch with the South African Revenue Service’s Customs Unit and other relevant government agencies on the matter.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
