Inquiry begins as Arklow man dies in fire on ship

THE Department of the Marine is investigating a fire on board an Irish registered ship in South Wales yesterday in which one crewman died.

The dad man has been named as Mr Declan Byrne (26) of Arklow, Co Wicklow, bosun of the 82 metre Innisfree owned bye Arklow Shipping. Mr Byrne, who was single, had been with the company since 1988.

About 50 firefighters tackled the blaze which broke out on one deck of the ship in Newport early yesterday. Two of the seven crew rescued from below decks were described as "stable" in a hospital unit in Plymouth last night. The four remaining crew escaped with out injury.

South Wales Fire Service said the blaze broke out in the galley and sent thick smoke pouring into the crew's accommodation area. "We believe a chip pan may have caught alight," said a spokesman. The ship was carrying a cargo of manganese ore.

Mr James Tyrrell of Arklow Shipping said that the rest of the crew had gone to bed when Mr Byrne was last seen in the galley, and they were woken up by a fire alarm. Due to the quick witted efforts of an officer, most of the crew escaped unharmed. It had taken the fire team some time to find Mr Byrne and the other two crew who were suffering from smoke inhalation. Mr Byrne was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Mr Tyrrell said that he had received many messages of condolence, which were relayed to Mr Byrne's family. Mr Byrne had been a loyal employee with a good record, he said. The ship itself did not sustain serious damage, apart from the galley area.

The Department of the Marine has sent two surveyors to conduct: an investigation in co operation with the British authorities, because it is an Irish registered vessel. Crew members will be interviewed over the next few days, but the company said that it was fairly evident that the fire was caused by a chip pan.