Blaze nearly engulfs Chinese ship in Haifa Port

Crew escapes unharmed as firefighters douse fire, apparently started by welders conducting repairs

By ToI Staff 11 December 2015, 11:32 am

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An aerial view of the Haifa Port, northern Israel, June 14, 2014. (Shay Levi/Flash90)

A Chinese vessel anchored at Haifa Port was set on fire early Friday, apparently accidentally. The ship’s crew escaped to shore unharmed.

The blaze, which traveled along the rubber insulation of the ship, threatened to engulf the vessel, and authorities prepared to deploy a tow ship to pull the burning vessel away from the harbor.

But firefighters from the Haifa Fire and Rescue Service put out the fire some three hours after it began.

According to an initial investigation, the fire was started accidentally by welders working on repairs to the vessel.

The ship, the Hung Bo 3001, carries out underwater digging and is used to deepen and clear the sea-bottom of ports. It is crewed by Chinese sailors.

In a separate incident, firefighters evacuated a yeshiva, a Jewish religious seminary, in Bnei Brak, a mostly haredi city near Tel Aviv, after a fire threatened to engulf the building late Thursday.

The students were evacuated while firefighters battled the blaze at the Nadvorna Hassidic Yeshiva. No one was hurt and the fire was put out quickly.