Fire at Q-10 berth in Cochin Port brought under control

Fire on sulphur conveyor belt at Cochin Port's Q-10 berth controlled quickly by fire and rescue teams, no injuries reported.

A fire was reported on a conveyor belt that ferried sulphur at the Q-10 berth of the Cochin Port on Thursday (February 27, 2025) evening.

The fire was detected after thick smoke billowed from the conveyor belt. Sources in the Cochin Port Authority (CPA) said the berth was under the control of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT), and the fire was brought under control by fire and rescue personnel of the CPA and FACT, apart from their counterparts in the city.

A FACT official said the conveyor belt used to carry sulphur had caught fire and that the cause of the fire was being probed by a technical team. None was injured, and the fire was put out by a total of over half-a-dozen fire tenders. On whether people had to be evacuated to safety, he said the need did not arise. Personnel in fire tenders are camping at the site, it is learnt.

A senior Fire and Rescue Services official said the fire occurred on a conveyor belt used to load and unload sulphur into ships from a nearby godown. “As per safety norms, the conveyor belt should have an inbuilt fire-fighting mechanism since sulphur is highly flammable. It must also have an inert gas system to neutralise the fire.”

This was lacking on the belt, requiring personnel to pump water to extinguish the fire. However, this often increases smoke and creates dust, which could cause suffocation. Fortunately, the fire was doused within minutes, he added.