Philippine Coast Guard Extinguishes Fire On A Dredger In Manila Bay

The Philippine Coast Guard released details of the incident and its quick response, adding that the fire was extinguished by 4:30 p.m. local time.

The fire was reported Thursday afternoon, following which the Manila Coast Guard dispatched two patrol vessels, BRP Sindangan, and BRP Suluan, to the HYNZ31 rig, which has been idle in Manila Bay since late November.

Images released by Coast Guard authorities showed smoke rising from the bow and crew members running at the stern; videos showed a Coast Guard vessel in position and spraying water to extinguish the fire.

After the fire was extinguished, the Coast Guard said there were no reports of injuries and the Manila station would investigate the cause of the fire.

The vessel is registered in the Philippines and is 109 meters long.

Last week, Philippine Coast Guard officials said some regional dredgers were working with China to participate in the latter’s activities to spoof AIS signals.

They cited an incident showing AIS signals from a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, including one that placed it near Manila, and said they could not reach all the locations reported.