Two sailors sustained second degree burns after a fire broke out at BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS16), a patrol ship, hours after it departed India to ferry donated medical supplies for the Philippines’ coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response, the Philippine Navy disclosed on Friday night.
Lieutenant Commander Maria Christina Roxas, acting director of Naval Public Affairs Office, said BRP Ramon Alcaraz was in convoy with BRP Davao del Sur (LD602), a landing dock vessel, when the incident happened around 8:30 p.m. Thursday (Indian time).
The two vessels had just left the Port of Cochin in India when the blaze occurred at the main engine room of the ship.
The vessel was assisting the Naval Task Force (NTF) 82 aboard BRP Davao del Sur in ferrying 200,000 pieces of face masks which were donated by the Indian government to the Philippines, and 18 Filipino tourists who got stranded in India due to the pandemic.
Roxas said the ship’s response team put out the fire after 10 minutes.
The cause of fire is yet to be determined.
She said the two sailors were airlifted to a naval hospital in Cochin, India for extensive medical attention.
Minor equipment damages were also noted on the ship, she added.
Roxas said engineers aboard the ship assessed the damage to the vessel’s propulsion system.
The vessel appeared to have returned to India for the necessary repairs.
“This unfortunate incident could have been worse if not for the promptness of our PN personnel in responding to the fire incident,” Roxas said.
“We recognize the gallant efforts of our personnel in responding to the emergency situation in spite of the dangers involved,” she added.
BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Davao del Sur were deployed by the Navy to Oman in January to fetch overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had been affected by the heightened tension in the Middle East following the killing of top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, on orders of US President Donald Trump.
The Navy ordered the two vessels to stay put in Oman for three months after tensions eased and the OFWs opted not to go home.
They left Sultan Qaboos, Oman on April 21. While on its way home, the vessels dropped by and arrived in India on April 29 to fetch the medical donations it sent to help the Philippines fight COVID-19. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
