Fire breaks out in engine room of cargo ship in Israeli port of Haifa

A Turkish cargo ship named Yaf Horizon caught fire while docked at the Israeli port of Haifa on June 10, 2024.

The ship arrived from Russia carrying a cargo of iron or steel and was stationed at the Israeli shipyards in the Kishon area of ​​Haifa when the fire broke out.

Local first responders were quickly deployed to bring the fire under control in the ship’s engine room.

Crews from Kiryot Fire Station and a tugboat from Haifa Marine Transport Company worked together to extinguish the fire.

According to on-scene commander Moshe Chiko Levy, the fire was contained to the generator room on the second level of the engine room, and no immediate threat to human life was detected.

The main objective was to protect the ship from further damage.

Authorities have ruled out the possibility that a drone strike or gunfire sparked the fire.

The cargo ship Yaf Horizon, flying the Panamanian flag, was hit in Haifa. The ship was built in 2009 and arrived in Israel from Turkey. pic.twitter.com/utbeRZdEID

– Marina Wolf (@volkova_ma57183) June 10, 2024

Video credits: @volkova_ma57183/Twitter

Despite ongoing regional conflicts, including involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting shipments to Israel, there is no evidence that external aggression was the cause of the incident.

Haifa, located in northern Israel, is a rare target for such operations, as previous strikes mainly targeted southern areas, such as Eilat.

The Yaf Horizon, an 8,300-tonne cargo ship, belongs to a shipping company based in Istanbul.

However, the ship’s history reveals a disturbing pattern of violations of port state control inspections, such as engine room cleanliness, functioning fire dampers and faulty fire alarms.

These issues raise concerns about the maintenance of the vessel and compliance with safety standards.

🇱🇧🇮🇱 Hezbollah officially began striking the Israeli port of Haifa for the first time pic.twitter.com/PUAWSiWoK3

– Marina Wolf (@volkova_ma57183) June 10, 2024

Video credits: @volkova_ma57183/Twitter

Before arriving in Haifa, the Yaf Horizon visited Novorossiysk, Russia, in the Black Sea.

The ship’s automatic identification system (AIS) signal was disrupted twice during the return trip.

The first incident was caused by a known disruption at Simferopol Airport in Crimea, while the second incident was centered around Beirut International Airport.

These interruptions temporarily misled the ship’s reported position, indicating the possibility of interference from defensive electronic warfare equipment.

Investigations into the causes of the fire aboard the Yaf Horizon are ongoing, with authorities committed to ensuring the safety and security of maritime operations in Haifa and beyond.

Reference: Safety4Sea