Freighter Fire in Port Kembla

Firefighters from Fire and Rescue New South Wales have been engaged in operations to deal with a fire that broke out on the freighter ‘Iron Chieftain’ in Port Kembla.

The ship is a bulk carrier and the fire is believed to have started in a conveyor belt which led to burning material dropping into a hold which contained dolomite, a gravel material used in steelmaking.

A number of aerial and specialist appliances have been used in the operation to bring the incident under control.

Crews from Nowra assisted with firefighting using their specialist compressed-air foam system (CAFS). This is a firefighting medium which uses a foam compound mixed with compressed air within firefighting hoses, it has an increased performance providing an extinguishing media that can help to contain fire spread and protect the surrounding area.

Crews have faced difficult conditions created by the inherent complexity of ship fires.

Image courtesy of Fire and Rescue New South Wales/Twitter