A fire broke out on Friday evening on board a US-flagged self-unloader Alpena, undergoing a two-week maintenance at Bay Shipbuilding Co, a Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin-based shipbuilding arm of Fincantieri.
Four people were injured during the firefighting activities, two shipyard workers and firefighters, Fox news reported, and the vessel sustained severe damage to its superstructure.
According to Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Herlache, the first units on scene reported heavy smoke coming from the vessel’s aft, just above the engine room. Herlache said that based on the initial reports the engine room appears to be spared and the fire did not extent into the cargo area. The vessel’s dinning area, storage room, some of its bedrooms and the electrical control room have been extensive damaged in the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
As informed, the firefighters cleared the shipyard at around 1.20 a.m.
The 73-year-old Great Lakes bulk carrier is owned by French cement company Lafarge.
World Maritime News Staff