Napier Port ship fire ruled accidental, cause revealed
A fire that ravaged through a ship at Napier Port last year has been ruled accidental and is believed to have been caused during operations to remove cargo, an investigation has found.
On December 18, emergency services were called to the "well-involved" fire on board the Singapore-registered Kota Bahagia cargo ship at 10.45am, and had it under control by 1.30pm.
At its peak, 19 appliances and support units from numerous brigades, including appliances responding from out of district attended.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand's investigation found the fire started in the upper hold of the ship.
The ship was carrying components for the construction of Mercury’s Turitea Wind Farm in the Tararua Ranges. The wind farm is being built for Mercury by the supplier, Vestas.
It is understood the components were destined to go towards the southern part of the wind farm which means there is "no particular disruption as a result" of the fire.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) investigation into this fire remains ongoing.
