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Investigations into Colombo Port warehouse fire
reveal:
HAZARDOUS UNDECLARED CHEMICAL MAIN CAUSE
Preliminary investigations into the fire that gutted a cargo
warehouse in the Colombo Port have revealed that a hazardous undeclared
chemical stored in the warehouse caused the fire.
Project Minister of Ports and Highways Rohitha Abeygunawardena said
the company which imported the hazardous chemical had not informed about
the nature of the cargo resulting in the chemical being stored in a
warehouse meant for the storage of non-hazardous items.
“Had the company informed the Customs, the hazardous cargo would have
been properly stored, “the Minister observed. According to
investigations, the damages caused due to the fire are estimated at Rs.
556 million. Stocks of electronic appliances, ready made garments and
footwear weighing more than 350 Kg in the warehouse were destroyed.
Minister Abeygunewardene while ruling out sabotage also said a report
containing results of investigations by the CID and the government
analyst will be released in a couple of days.
The Minister said 131 importers out of 461 who had cargo stored in
the destroyed warehouse have already claimed losses through insurance
coverage.
Other complaints too are being investgated and relief will be
provided, the Minister assured.
Port Authority Chairman Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama said the incident
was detected by 32 CCTV camera’s.
“This and other technical evidence are being used in the
investigations,” he added. Dr.Wickrema said the destroyed warehouse will
soon be renovated. He added that, discussions will be held with Customs
to introduce a new method to check cargo in the future to prevent such
occurrences.
Minister Abeygunawardene meanwhile said, action will be taken against
the importer of the hazardous chemical after the CID and Government
Analyst present their findings.
The May 24th fire at the Container Freight Station (CFS) -1 warehouse
at the JCT Terminal inside the Port of Colombo completely destroyed the
warehouse and its contents.
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