Major fire breaks out in cargo ship at Vypeen yard, no casualties reported

Kochi: A major fire tore through a medium-sized general cargo vessel undergoing maintenance at a private shipyard in Vypeen early Monday morning. No casualties were reported.The blaze erupted at shipyard located behind Vypeen govt school around 4am.

Six crew members sleeping on board managed to escape after waking up to find the upper deck engulfed in flames.Fire and rescue services from Vypeen arrived at the scene by 4.30am. Firefighters initially battled the inferno from the shore, but as flames rapidly spread to lower decks, rescue teams boarded the vessel. The operation took nearly eight hours to douse the fire. Officials noted that presence of chemicals and petroleum-based materials significantly intensified the flames, creating a high-risk environment and sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky.“Fire tenders from Club Road, Mattancherry, Gandhi Nagar and North Paravur too joined the mission, besides Coast Guard,” a fire official said.A preliminary assessment suggests the fire was triggered by a short circuit. While upper structure of the ship sustained extensive damage, a larger disaster was averted because no other fishing boats or vessels were anchored nearby.Routine operations at the shipyard have been suspended to protect surrounding infrastructure.