A Canadian ship docked on the NSW south coast is still burning as firefighters work "tirelessly" to extinguish the final flames more than a day after the iron-ore carrier caught fire.

All crew on board the Iron Chieftain escaped unharmed when the fire ignited in the cargo hold as dolomite was being unloaded on a conveyor belt at Port Kembla Harbour on Monday morning.

"Firefighters worked tirelessly throughout the night," Fire & Rescue NSW said in a statement on Tuesday.

The fire on the outer deck was extinguished on Monday, but efforts have since turned to sections in the cargo hold where an active fire still burns.

"Firefighters continue to attack this fire through hatches on the deck and hose lines have been repositioned," Fire & Rescue NSW said.

The fire is being monitored with a laser thermometer and is expected to continue throughout Tuesday with about 80 firefighters on hand. </s> SYDNEY - A fire in the hold of a bulker ship on Monday briefly closed Australia's Port Kembla, the second-largest coal export port in New South Wales state, stopping shipping for eight hours.

The port was shut soon after the blaze began before dawn on the MV Iron Chieftain as it unloaded dolomite, a mineral used in steelmaking which was destined for BlueScope Steel Ltd's nearby blast furnace. No injuries were reported.

"Shipping recommenced and the port reopened at 1130 and is expected to be back on schedule by around 1700," harbour master Kell Dillon said in an emailed statement.

More than 100 firefighters were working to put fire out, a job likely to take all day, a spokesman for Fire and Rescue New South Wales told Reuters. Pictures showed water being sprayed from tugboats and fire engines into the ship's hold.

BlueScope Steel said in an emailed statement that the blaze would have no impact on its steelmaking and none of its port equipment was damaged.

The port, also the state's largest vehicle import gateway, counts among its customers nearby coal mines run by BHP spinoff South32, which said its exports were unaffected.

The ship's owner, CSL Australia, said damage to the vessel was not immediately clear.

Thomson Reuters Eikon data showed eight vessels at anchor in the port, mostly bulk carriers and roll-on, roll-off vehicle ships. </s> A floating boom was put in place around the Dong Won 701 to contain any possible spillage from the vessel.

It is hoped a fire burning on a Korean fishing vessel docked at the Port of Timaru has finally burnt out after almost a week, but crews won't know for sure until they re-enter the boat tomorrow.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) South Island assistant area commander Rodger Smith said crews had been working through the weekend closely monitoring the temperature of the ship as they tried to finally bring the fires under control.

"We're continuing to apply water jets to the outside parts of the vessel.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF Fire crews will re-enter the Dong Won 701 on Monday to check if the fires have burnt out.

"Logistically these sorts of fires are always challenging but we've got firefighters from Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington, as well as locals to assist," Smith said.

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* Fishing boat staying put

* Port operations resume

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The 70-metre Dong Won 701 Korean fishing vessel caught fire about 9.30pm on Monday.

Since then emergency services crews and authorities have been working to bring the fire under control and minimise its impact on the harbour and operations at the port.

Smith said the plan now was for fire crews to re-enter the boat, which was sealed on Friday in an effort to contain the fires, on Monday.

"We can't guarantee that all the fires are out but we're pretty confident that they are," he said.

Smith said once the fire was out, Fenz would cease its involvement with the vessel.​​

The incident is being investigated by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission. </s> A crew of 27 were saved from a container ship engulfed in flames after a Royal Navy vessel moved in to save them from 150 miles away.

It took sailors on HMS Argyll just eight hours to save every person aboard the 28,000-tonne merchant ship in the Bay of Biscay after the ship’s cargo of containers and cars caught fire.

The crew aboard the Grande America merchant ship had been trying to fight the flames but were forced to abandon it, climbing into their lifeboat despite the 5m to 6m swirls in the sea at night.

The lifeboat’s engine had been damaged, which left it unable to move away from the flames leaving the crew “bobbing around like a cork in a bathtub”.

On receiving a mayday message, the Argyll moved 150 miles through difficult sea conditions to launch their small sea boat, which was used to nudge the lifeboat against the safety of the frigate so the crew could be lifted to safety one-by-one.

Lieutenant Commander Dave Tetchner, from HMS Argyll, said: “It was pretty awful for them – they’d had to fight a fire in dreadful seas.

“Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation. Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed. It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked.

“You see container ships like this every day when you’re sailing around the world. What you do not see is one in flames – it was a dreadful sight.”

The 27 sailors rescued were then taken to the French port of Brest and while there were no life-threatening injuries, some required hospital treatment.

The frigate had been returning to Plymouth after nine months in the Asia- Pacific region working with allies overseas.

The MV Grande America was still aflame when Argyll left the merchant ship around 5am. The Italian-registered vessel had been bound for Casablanca from Hamburg when the fire broke out at 8pm on Sunday.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “HMS Argyll’s swift and selfless response to very dangerous situation in difficult conditions undoubtedly saved 27 lives. I commend her crew.

“This rescue demonstrates that even on the final leg of a challenging nine-month deployment to the Far East, the Royal Navy’s sailors remain vigilant and professional at all times.” </s> The cargo of cars on board the Grande America caught fire. Pics: Royal Navy

Sailors aboard HMS Argyll have saved 27 people from a container ship after its cargo caught fire.

The frigate was heading back to Plymouth when it responded to a mayday call in the middle of the night off the coast of France.

It took about eight hours to save the crew members, and the Royal Navy said the victims "were fighting a losing battle against the flames and abandoning ship".

They fled the 28,000-tonne merchant ship in a lifeboat which smashed into heavy seas as it launched - and one navy official said it was "bobbing around like a cork in a bathtub".

Despite the "very difficult sea conditions", HMS Argyll successfully launched her sea boat - nudging the lifeboat against the frigate's side so the crew of the Grande America could be brought aboard.

Lieutenant Commander Dave Tetchner said: "The conditions were horrendous - the vessels were rolling at 30 degrees which made it extremely hairy getting the sailors safely on board.

"Royal Marines were on the ropes hauling people up."

The 27 rescued sailors were taken to the French port of Brest. Although none of them suffered life-threatening injuries, some require hospital treatment.

Lt Cdr Tetchner added: "It was pretty awful for them - they'd had to fight a fire in dreadful seas. Every one of them suffered smoke inhalation.

"Then they faced the prospect of abandoning ship and then their lifeboat failed. It was pretty awful all round and they were shocked.

"You see container ships like this every day when you're sailing around the world. What you do not see is one in flames - it was a dreadful sight."

Grande America, which was carrying cars and container ships, was still on fire when HMS Argyll left the scene at about 5am on Monday - about 150 miles away from Brest.

The Italian-registered vessel was heading from Casablanca to Hamburg when the blaze broke out at 8pm on Sunday night.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson commended the crew and said that the ship's "swift and selfless response to very dangerous situation in difficult conditions undoubtedly saved 27 lives".

HMS Argyll was on her way home after spending nine months in the Asia-Pacific at the time of the distress call.

The commanding officer of HMS Argyll, Cdr Toby Shaughnessy, added: "I am incredibly proud of my ship's company and the way they performed in this rescue effort in the most challenging of conditions.

"Without doubt this was a near run thing. The conditions were on the limit for recovery and this could just as easily been a different result.

"It was an exceptional team effort and there's a great feeling on board after a successful result - everyone was saved." </s> A fishing ship fire in Timaru Port has been contained but fire crews will stay on board through the day.

Last night 10 fire crews fought the fire on the 80m Dong Won 701 fishing vessel docked at the South Canterbury port.

Three crew members have been treated for smoke inhalation.

A Timaru District Council webcam showed a large amount of smoke coming from the port last night after the fire broke out about 9.30pm.

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🚒 TIMARU PORT - Crews from Christchurch have been called to assist a ship on fire at the port of Timaru. Webcam view here:https://t.co/RZuQD6DcFi pic.twitter.com/jDOcxYNlvm — Christchurch Live (@03alert) April 9, 2018



A Fire and Emergency spokesman said this morning the fire had been contained but seven crews would stay there for most of the day.

Dozens of onlookers watched the fire last night. </s> Attempts are under way to suffocate the fires still burning on the Korean fishing vessel in the Port of Timaru.

Towing a burning Korean fishing boat out to sea from the Port of Timaru has been deemed too dangerous.

The 70-metre Dong Won 701 caught fire while docked at the port on Monday night and authorities have been struggling to extinguish the fires since.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) South Canterbury area manager Steven Greenyer revealed on Friday that one option considered was towing it out to sea, but this has been deemed too dangerous.

1 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 2 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 3 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF 13042018 News JOHN BISSET/STUFF. Ship fire The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 is still smoking as firefighters continue efforts to extinguish the fire. 4 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 5 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Firefighters on board the Dong Won 701 that caught fire while docked in the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 6 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Firefighters prepared to board the Dong Won 701, a Korean fishing boat that caught fire in the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2108. 7 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 8 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Steam and smoke can be seen rising from the Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 9 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 10 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 11 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 12 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 13 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 14 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 10, 2018. 15 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 10, 2018. 16 of 20 AURORA BOURASSA/SUPPLIED The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 17 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 18 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 19 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 20 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018.

"We had permission to tow the ship out to sea, but when you've got a major fire on the front part of the ship, you can't tow it forward... towing it from the stern would have meant turning the ship around into the wind meaning the fire would have come back into the rest of the ship and also placed the tugs in danger," Greenyer said.

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* Port operations resume as fishing boat fire burns on]

* TAIC begins inquiry into ship's fire in Port of Timaru

"The other issue was if we towed it out and it sinks in the channel then that closes the port, so that was really a last option.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF A close up of fire damage to the Korean fishing boat, Dong Won 701, in the Port of Timaru.

"If the ship had to sink then it's better that it sinks alongside here (the wharf), rather than out in the channel."

PrimePort chief executive Phil Melhopt said port operations were largely back to normal. There were no more delays to ships arriving in port, he said.

"We're mostly out of the woods, but there is still a lot of work going on to smother the two fires," Melhopt said.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 is still smoking as firefighters continue efforts to extinguish the fire.

Greenyer said the fires had been contained but there were two still burning in the ship and attempts to suffocate them began on Friday.

"One is still burning in the cargo hold, while another is in the front the boat."

Greenyer said things like the port holes and doors were being sealed up to help starve the fires of oxygen.

DOUG FIELD Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at Timaru Port

"We're still finishing work to try and smother the fire.

"We're also using a sealing agent (high expansion foam) to seal up doors and any holes so we can starve the fires of air, and then they're more likely to go out.

"The accommodation area of the ship and half of the internal area is burnt-out or badly damaged. The rear part of the ship is still intact."

JOHN BISSET/STUFF At least five fire crews battle a blaze on a fishing vessel at the Port of Timaru on Monday night.

A tug boat carrying firefighters is also still being used to cool the sides of the ship.

"We anticipate that this will take some time to fully extinguish."​

Greenyer said about 20 fire crew members were still attending the blaze, with some coming from as far south as Dunedin.

MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/STUFF The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 photographed at 11.20am on Thursday at the Timaru Port. It is still smoking as the fire onboard remains to be extinguished.

As the battle to extinguish the fires continued, Environment Canterbury (ECan) has declared a Tier 2 response, under the Maritime Transport Act 1994, which allows it to manage the potential risk of oil or other contaminants getting into the harbour water.

"We have trained responders closely monitoring the situation and will mobilise them should the need arise," said ECan's on-scene commander for marine oil spills, Richard Purdon.

"In addition specialised containment and collection equipment is in place and ready for use if needed.

MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/STUFF More than 20 fire crew and a host of Timaru Port and Environment Canterbury are attending the ship's fire.

"For now it's a monitoring operation. No oil has escaped from the fishing boat."

Fenz is continuing to douse the fire from the outside to reduce the risk the boat could move or sink.

"The area close to the boat is considered too dangerous for our responders to work in. As soon it is safe to do so, we will deploy a boom around the vessel to contain any potential spill, reducing the risk of environmental harm," Purdon said.

The Dong Won 701 is owned by Dong Won Fisheries and the company's chief executive, Tae Wang, said on Wednesday it was continuing to work with the port and safety authorities while also attending to the welfare of the ship's crew. </s> Smoke billows out of MV SSL Kolkata on Sunday. Picture courtesy Coast Guard

Calcutta: Choppy waters on Sunday forced a salvage team aboard a tugboat to give up attempts to get close to the abandoned cargo ship that caught fire four days ago near the Sunderbans coast.

The team was approaching MV SSL Kolkata on a Calcutta Port Trust vessel when heavy shoaling in the Bay of Bengal - it is the effect by which surface waves entering shallower water change in wave height - forced them to turn back.

The Bay of Bengal is around eight nautical miles from the Sunderbans.

The cargo ship has been adrift in shallow waters since June 14, when the Coast Guard rescued its 22-member crew.

The salvage team comprising experts from the multinational company SMIT has been hired by Shreyas Shipping and Logistics, the owner of the cargo ship.

On Saturday morning, a navy team and three crew members of the MV SSL Kolkata had descended on the ship from a Sea King 42C helicopter. The team managed to drop the starboard (right) anchor of the ship that had till then been drifting towards the maritime border with Bangladesh.

Two officials from SMIT were airlifted by the Coast Guard in a Dornier aircraft for a close aerial survey of the ship, an officer said.

The Coast Guard will make an attempt on Monday to take the salvage team till the abandoned ship.

An officer in the Calcutta Port Trust said the fire had not yet affected the hold that contains chemicals. "Thick iron plates separate one hold from another. This is why the fire has not yet reached the cargo hold where the chemicals are kept. But we do not know how long the partition will work if the fire continues to rage."

There is also the danger of structural damage to the ship if the fire continues to burn.

No oil or chemical spill has been reported so far.

Two advanced offshore patrol vessels with fire-fighting and pollution response capabilities have been maintaining a round-the-clock vigil on the ship. Four hovercraft of the Coast Guard are on standby at the Fraserganj forward operating base to help the salvage team, if needed.

Three other Coast Guard vessels and pollution control equipment have been kept ready at the Haldia port for immediate deployment in the event of an oil spill.

MV SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its captain and crew after flames aided by strong winds spread to 70 per cent of the ship, then positioned about 55 nautical miles from Sagar Island. </s> Explosions rocked a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday, forcing maritime authorities to suspend firefighting and rescue efforts as a blaze raged on the vessel for the fourth day after a collision with a freight ship.

The explosion on the Sanchi's bow was the latest setback in the multinational effort to extinguish the blaze and forced rescue vessels to move to a safe distance, China's Ministry of Transport said. It was not immediately known if the explosion was large enough to cause the ship to sink.

Earlier in the day, an official with South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries told Reuters the oil tanker could burn for as long as a month.

“We believe flames would last for two weeks or a month considering previous cases of oil tank accidents,” Park Sung-Dong said.

The Sanchi was carrying nearly 1 million barrels of ultra-light oil when it collided Saturday evening with a freighter 160 miles off the coast and caught fire. The cause of the collision remains unclear.

IRANIAN OIL TANKER BURNING FOR THIRD DAY, MAY EXPLODE AS CREW STILL MISSING

Intense flames, bad weather and poor visibility have hampered rescue efforts in the following days. Rescues have also faced the threat of poisonous fumes from the hulking wreck.

Rescuers on Tuesday found a body believed to be a sailor from the Iranian-operated tanker, while a search continued for 31 other missing crew members.The Iranian company who owns the ship said there is still hope of finding survivors.

A spokesman for National Iranian Tanker Co. told The Associated Press in Tehran rescuers "likely" will find survivors.

IRANIAN OIL TANKER BURNING OFF CHINA MAY EXPLODE, BODY FOUND IN SEARCH FOR MISSING CREW

"Since the vessel's engine room is not directly affected by the fire and is about [46 feet] under water, there is still hope," spokesman Mohsen Bahrami said late Tuesday. "We are persistently working to put out the fire and rescue possible survivors."

Mahmoud Abuli Ghasemabadi, the brother of missing Iranian sailor Ehasan Abuli Ghasemabadi, told the AP he and other families remained hopeful for good news.

"I ask countries that are in that region and can offer any assistance to help us deal with this situation as soon as possible," Ghasemabadi said.

It's the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co. in less than a year and a half. In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Canadian ship MV Iron Chieftain burns for a second day off the coast of New South Wales, Australia. The freighter, carrying dolomite, was partially extinguished yesterday, but fire remains in the hold.