DUBAI // Work has began to remove 2,500 tonnes of destroyed goods from the charred remains of two cargo boats on Dubai Creek.
Workers were yesterday busy emptying the boats of their cargo - previously worth millions of dirhams but now reduced to blackened rubble - into large, floating containers moored besides the vessels.
The larger boat, Bhakti Sagar, is dangerously close to sinking, officials warned.
"We are removing the waste from the top of the ship," said Salem Mesmar, the assistant director general for environment, health and safety at Dubai Municipality.
"It is almost sinking. It is only one metre on top of the creek."
Mr Mesmar said the bottom of the vessel was nearly touching the creek bed but unloading it would ease the situation.
The fire broke out last Saturday on a smaller dhow containing about 170 barrels of petrol.
It spread to the Bhakti Sagar, also anchored on the Deira side of the creek. Strong winds then blew both boats to the Bur Dubai side of the creek after their moorings were burnt through.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed no evidence of criminal negligence. Municipality officers said a private company had been contracted to remove the goods.
The smaller dhow contained 750 tonnes of cargo, while the larger boat carried 1,750 tonnes.
This included cars, spare parts, clothes, plastic bottles, tyres, sugar and other food to be shipped to Somalia.
"We are trying to remove everything … we have put floating barriers covering the area to keep it contained," said Mr Mesmar.
The first phase of the operation is expected to end tomorrow.
Despite Saturday's blaze and the resulting explosions, officials say most of the debris has stayed on the vessels.
The dhows will be brought on to land at Al Jedaf in the second phase, expected to begin next week.
"We will remove the sinking dhow," Mr Mesmar said. "We need a bigger crane to lift them."
Authorities will decide on Sunday whether to dismantle the boats or take them to land in one piece, depending on the costs of the operation.
Normally boat owners have to bear the expenses of such incidents, but officials said a decision would be made after the clean up.
"Our priority is to save the environment," said Mr Mesmar.
The municipality and Civil Defence have maintained there was no oil spill, despite the presence of a large amount of petrol in the smaller craft.
But police have said some oil had spilled into the creek.
pkannan@thenational.ae
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