Vehicle carrier catches fire off Cebu coast

The MV Diamond Highway, a vehicle carrier undergoing salvage operations for disposal, caught fire off the coast of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Friday, April 28, 2023.

The fire, which reportedly started from the ship's starboard bow around 2 p.m. while workers were dismantling the vessel for scrap, was declared out after 10 hours at 12:35 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Initial investigation suggests the fire may have been caused by acetylene spilling on paint, sparking a blaze.

All 23 personnel on board, who were conducting the scrap operation, safely disembarked from the vessel.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Lapu-Lapu, with assistance from other units and a tugboat, worked to extinguish the blaze.

The ship had previously run aground in December 2021 during Typhoon Odette.