Experts have yet to begin investigating the cause of the fire due to the accumulation of dangerous gases.
German firefighters successfully extinguished a fire that broke out on a heating oil tanker off the Baltic Sea coast on Friday morning. However, experts have been unable to start investigating the cause of the fire because of the buildup of hazardous gases inside the vessel, rescue services reported on Saturday, according to DPA.
Fire Erupted in the Mecklenburg Bay
The fire started early Friday in the Mecklenburg Bay, in waters between Kühlungsborn and Warnemünde. Around 120 rescue personnel responded to the incident. Firefighters managed to stop the spread of the fire by Friday, allowing the tanker to be towed into the port of Rostock by two tugboats. Once in the port, the fire was fully extinguished. A spokesperson for the Rostock maritime police stated that the investigation into the fire’s cause cannot begin until the vessel has been left idle long enough to allow the dangerous gases to dissipate. This step is essential to ensure the safety of the investigators. The spokesperson did not specify when the investigation might start.
The tanker Annika, flying under the German flag, is 73 meters long and 12 meters wide. It was carrying 640 tons of heavy heating oil at the time. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. The regional environment ministry confirmed on Friday evening that the incident did not cause any major environmental damage.
