Firefighters tackle blaze on ship at Belfast harbour

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

A small fire on a ship at the Belfast Harbour estate has been put out by firefighters.

The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) responded to an incident in a Harland & Wolff dry dock at 5.17pm on Thursday.

The fire occurred in a tank within the vessel that was being worked on by a shipyard subcontractor and the cause has been determined as accidental.

All crew on board the vessel were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported, NIFRS added.

Fifty firefighters and four pumping appliances, one aerial and one foam appliance, a specialist rescue team and a marine team plus a number of supervisory officers responded to the incident.

“NIFRS worked closely with Harland & Wolff throughout the incident, committing NIFRS firefighters with breathing apparatus and water jets to extinguish the fire,” a statement said.