Fire hits ship docked at North Harbor

An interisland passenger ship caught fire while docked at the North Harbor in Manila before noon yesterday.

No one was reported injured in the 30-minute fire which hit the engine room of MV St. Peter the Apostle, which is owned and operated by the Negros Navigation Company Inc..

SFO2 Wilson Tana said bunker fuel overflowed at the engine room and a fire was started shortly before noon.

The vessel, which was docked at Pier 2, was scheduled to leave for Bacolod at 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

Luckily, there was still no passenger on board the ship when the fire occurred as the ship is still undergoing maintenance inspection prior to departure, investigators said.

The fire was put out at around 11:56 a.m.

Gian Galvez, head of corporate communications of Negros Navigation, said it was an isolated incident. "There was no damage to the ship. In fact the Philippine Coast Guard has allowed the ship to sail," Galvez told The STAR.

He said the fire was caused by an "overpressure" on the delivery hose of the gasoline truck that was transferring bunker fuel to the ship’s engine.

"The delivery hose touched a hot surface on the ground outside the ship which ignited the fire. The gasoline truck managed to pull out of the area and prevent the fire from reaching the vessel," Galvez explained.

He also added that the ship’s cargoes were safe and intact.

American Bureau of Shipping surveyor Shadd Williams certified that the vessel sustained no damage.

Meanwhile, a still undetermined number of families was rendered homeless when a two-story residential and commercial building in Sta. Ana, Manila was razed by fire Friday night.

Arson probers said the fire started at the ground floor of the structure owned by one Pacita Laurenaria at around 6:50 p.m.

The fire reached the fifth alarm before it was finally put out at around 7:41 p.m. No one was reported injured in the fire.

Damage to property was placed at P40,000, while investigators are still determining the actual cause of the fire. Residents pointed to faulty electrical wiring connections as the probable cause of the fire.