Speed boat cruiser catches fire off Mandwa jetty, 2 crew members injured

Assistant police inspector Govind Patil from Mandwa police station said when he and his team were trying to get near the burning boat, they learnt that it had a 200-litre petrol tank which could explode and engulf several other boats in the vicinity

A speed boat cruiser caught fire off Mandwa jetty in Raigad district on Saturday, minutes after the passengers it ferried from Gateway of India alighted, police said and added that the two crew members on board suffered minor injuries.

It was only after the boat ended up on the shore that the fire brigade could put out the blaze around 5.30 pm, he said.

Superintendent of police Somnath Gharge said the incident occurred around 1.30 pm when the speed boat, Belvedere, was headed for anchorage.

“The master of the boat, Dildar Marne, and his helper, Mozin Kurrai, both residents of Veshvi-Bankot village in Mandangad taluka in Raigad, received minor burn injuries. They have been admitted to the government hospital in Alibaug and are not in a critical condition,” he said and added that the boat belongs to Marine Solutions Distribution & Services PLC.

Though the top police officer said an investigation is underway to find out the cause of the blaze, port inspector Ashish Mankar from Maharashtra Maritime Board said the master of the vessel claimed that there was a problem in the generator and when they opened it, a fire erupted.

“The boat staff had removed the rope and hence it drifted. We immediately alerted the fire brigade,” Mankar, who is in charge of Mandwa port, said.

Assistant police inspector Govind Patil from Mandwa police station said when he and his team were trying to get near the burning boat, they learnt that it had a 200-litre petrol tank which could explode and engulf several other boats in the vicinity. “Hence, the fire could not be doused in the sea.”

It was only after the boat ended up on the shore that the fire brigade could put out the blaze around 5.30 pm, he said.

“Details of the passengers have not been taken since they had already got off the boat before the fire broke out. The crew members’ statements will be recorded once they are able to speak to us. We have registered a case of accident for now,” Patil said.

When contacted, Anju Dutta, managing director of Marine Solutions Distribution & Services PLC, said the speed boat cruiser was owned by a client company and her firm managed its service.

“It is a speed boat cruiser of around 33-foot-long and can accommodate 8 to 10 people. Our local team told me that the boat was in anchorage at the jetty and the engine was switched off. We don’t know what caused the fire. Our crew suffered minor burn injuries and have been taken to the hospital,” she said.