Grand Harbour Marina said today that its staff acted efficiently when a fire broke out on a yacht berthed at one of the pontoons of the marina last night.
The fire broke out at 10 pm and the security staff responded immediately to the situation by using fire extinguishers whilst the berth masters came by sea, detached the boat from the pontoon and towed the vessel to the entrance to the creek, the company said.
At the same time, the base security officer at the marina phoned the emergency services and the Civil Protection Department. The CPD vessel Garibaldi was dispatched immediately and the fire engines arrived in short time.
The Garibaldi extinguished the flames on the unfortunate vessel whilst it was at the entrance of the creek and Grand Harbour Marina’s berth master then towed it to the shore where the fire engines used powder and foam to ensure the fire was properly extinguished.
Assistant Manager Ian Cochrane was also on site coordinating the operations and General Manager Ben Stuart was also present to assist the police and to ensure that all necessary actions were taken.
Mr Stuart said “At Grand Harbour Marina, we do have emergency response procedures in place whereby when a fire breaks out on a boat berthed in the marina, the first step is to immediately isolate the fire from neighbouring boats to avoid more danger and damage. No one was hurt as a result of this incident.”
Mr Stuart added “The marina is ISPS certified and as such views the professional conduct of its staff and the effective manner in which they handled the situation, with great pride.”
See also
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100624/local/fire-damages-yacht-in-grand-harbour