Video: Fire due to explosion on container ship extinguished in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port

A fire caused by an explosion within a container on board a ship at Jebel Ali Port just after midnight in the early hours of Thursday has been brought under control.

Authorities said that the fire was extinguished in 40 minutes, with teams from Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Defence present at the site of the incident.

Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, said that according to initial information, the fire in Jebel Ali Port broke out on board a small-sized container ship. Media reports indicated that it had occurred on board a ship with a capacity of 130 containers.

A fire caused by an explosion within a container on board a ship at Jebel Ali Port has been brought under control; no casualities have been reported. pic.twitter.com/iLdS3zEegW

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2021

At around 2.30am on July 8, the director general of Dubai Civil Defense Maj. Gen. Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi confirmed that the Jebel Ali Port fire has been brought fully under control and the cooling process was under way.

No casualties have been reported, authorities said, due to the fire at Jebel Ali Port – the largest in the Middle East and a key center for trade in the UAE.

A fire caused by an explosion within a container on board a ship at Jebel Ali Port has been brought under control; no casualities have been reported. pic.twitter.com/oMTaJhgEYd

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2021

Authorities are investigating the cause, Al Arabiya reported. Dubai Police told the network the fire may have been caused by “friction or high temperature,” and no radioactive materials were on board.

“We are taking all necessary measures to ensure the normal movement of ships in the port continues without any disruption,” Dubai Media Office said, citing Jebel Ali Port authorities.

The Dubai Police chief warned against speculating about the fire. “We call upon everyone to obtain news from the official authorities in the country, and the necessity of verifying the accuracy of the information before it is circulated in order to avoid legal accountability,” Al Marri told a local news channel.

pic.twitter.com/IzMqfg94G9

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2021

With inputs from Bloomberg