Commercial fuel barge burns at Juba Port

A commercial boat carrying fuel at the Juba Port near Gabat neighbourhood caught fire on Thursday afternoon, police said.

A commercial boat carrying fuel at the Juba Port near Gabat neighbourhood caught fire on Thursday afternoon, police said.

There were no casualties caused by the blaze.

Major General Daniel Justin, the spokesperson of the South Sudan Police, told Radio Tamazuj the explosion was caused by overheating on the petroleum products the boat was carrying.

“It was actually an explosion caused by the petrol the boat was carrying. The situation was controlled and there were no casualties reported. So this is what happened,” Justin said.

He added, “We are still gathering accurate information to gather the losses. The boat is just a small boat that was carrying goods from Juba to Mangalla and Bor. But of course, this is the initial information I am confirming, but we will gather accurate information on Friday.”

In October 2013, a boat offloading fuel at the Juba Port caught fire. The burning boat caused damage to at least one other motorboat at the scene.