KUWAIT CITY : The Deputy Director-General for Fire-fighting and Human Resources said Sunday the heat and fire outbreak on an American military vessel loaded with military trucks and equipment in Shuaiba Port has been brought under control and there was no extensive damage to property as reported. He also denied the incident led to the stoppage of operations at the port.
Colonel Amin Abdeen said the preventive measure taken by the ship's captain by injecting carbon dioxide into one of the compartments two days ago when the overheating was noticed went a long way to prevent a catastrophe. "When the heat failed to subside, fire-fighters from Shuaiba Marine Department and Shuaiba Industrial Area joined their American counterparts to use water and foam to cool off the heat and gain access to the vessel's engine room," he said.
Col Amin said the overheating may have been caused by fuel leakage on one of the vessel's tanks. He added the American personnel aboard the vessel were able to offload all the goods.He said no major injuries occurred in the incident apart from a fire-fighter who fainted after inhaling fumes from the heated diesel oil.