Somali dhow catches fire, sinks in Omani port - ArabianBusiness.com

Somali dhow catches fire, sinks in Omani port - ArabianBusiness.com

A Somali-flagged dhow caught fire and sank while anchored in the Port of Salalah in Oman in the early hours of Wednesday, port officials have said.

Shortly after midnight, the Al Yaasiin burst into flames after offloading livestock at the port in Dhofar Province, a statement said.

An investigation is ongoing by the port to determine the cause of the blaze and to work with the owners of dhow boats to prevent such incidents from being repeated.

The port's firefighting tub boat team and the Omani Coast Guard were immediately deployed to the site and were able to safely evacuate all of the 15 crew members to a nearby fishing vessel.

The fire was contained to the single vessel and was fully extinguished by 6am, the statement said, adding that the damaged vessel was towed to a shallow area away from the port, secured and marked for future salvage operations.

"There was no direct impact on the operations within the Port of Salalah and there were no injuries or loss of life as a result of the blaze, the statement said.

The Port of Salalah caters to more than 45 wooden traditional dhows from East Africa each month providing a crucial link for East Africa to the Omani Market via the Dhofar province.
The dhows typically bring livestock from East Africa to Oman and take back many essential consumer items from the local Omani market.

The port said in the statement that it remains dedicated to servicing this emerging market and facilitating the economic ties between Oman and East Africa.

(Source Arabian Business)