Three crewmembers were injured when the general cargo vessel Meridian Dos caught fire at Manila North Harbor, Philippines, on 3 December. Thick smoke emerged from the vessel around 6:00 a.m. while it was preparing to depart with container vans.
The fire escalated, prompting the Bureau of Fire Protection to mobilize about 30 trucks. Firefighters managed to control the blaze after almost three hours, by 8:45 p.m. Authorities reported that the fire was largely contained to the vessel’s lower decks.
The injured were rushed to a local hospital for treatment. The Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine Ports Authority have launched a formal investigation. Depending on the findings, new safety measures or penalties may follow.
The Meridian Dos, a Philippines-flagged vessel built in 1991, is 94 meters long, has a beam of 15 meters, and a gross tonnage of 3,320. It carries containers and general cargo and has been operating in the Philippines since 2014.
