The management of SIFAX Group; owners of Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited at Tin Can Island port in Lagos has dispelled rumours of a fire outbreak at its concessioned area at the port.
In a statement issued by the group and signed by its head of Corporate Affairs; Mr Muyiwa Akande, SIFAX explained that even though there was an equipment malfunctioning which led to a little fire outbreak, the Terminal ‘C’ which its subsidiary operates was not engulfed by fire, neither was any ship gutted by fire.
It stated that the impact of the fire was minimal and contained immediately, hence no severe damage, no cargo loss, nor injury was recorded.
The statement explained that the report in a section of the media, was misleading and an exaggerated representation of what actually happened.
Giving details of the incident, SIFAX disclosed that, “at about 12:30 pm on Thursday, July 20, 2023, one of our equipment, a shore crane, developed a sudden technical fault and before anything could be done to fix it, it went up in flames.
“There was a quick response from all stakeholders which resulted in putting out the fire as soon as possible, even though substantial damage was done to the equipment. Normalcy was returned to the terminal after containing the fire and our operations resumed”.
It denied any fire on board the vessel at berth, and maintained that “the vessel at berth as at the time of the incident was not affected by the fire while containers, both those on board the vessel as well as other consignments at the terminal, were not affected also”.
According to the statement: “There was no loss of life, as the operator working on the affected equipment was safely rescued without any injury. The said equipment as well as all other equipment and facilities at the terminal are all insured”.
“As a company, we are committed to operational excellence in a safe and secure environment for the collective good of all our stakeholders – customers, agents, staff, regulators and the general public”.
The group also urged members of the public to regard the media report on the incident “and stay with the facts as stated here”.
“Our sincere appreciation goes to individuals and organisations who reacted swiftly to the emergency situation including: Nigerian Ports Authority, Master and crew of MV Argeciras Express and the Lagos State Fire Service team. Kudos also to the staff of Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited”, the statement concluded.
