Fire Erupts on Decommissioned Tanker at Aliağa Yard

A serious fire broke out on July 3rd aboard the retired Libyan-flagged tanker Sloug, which was undergoing dismantling at the Aliağa Shipbreaking Yard in İzmir Province’s Aliağa district, Turkey. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.

The fire was first noticed around 11:00 AM local time. Firefighting teams quickly responded, sending several fire trucks and six specialized tugboats to tackle the flames and cool the vessel’s structure. The tugboats applied water and foam to suppress the blaze.

Dense black smoke could be seen billowing from the ship. As a safety precaution, activities at nearby construction sites were halted. The windy conditions in the region made firefighting efforts more difficult, and authorities warned that extinguishing the fire could take several days.

The Sloug, measuring nearly 349 meters in length, has become the center of renewed scrutiny and debate.

Originally built in Italy in 1973, the vessel was repurposed as a floating storage unit near Libya in 1989. After decades of service, it was taken out of commission in 2017, reportedly due to poor structural condition.

A Turkish company eventually purchased the tanker for scrapping. Before arriving in Turkey, the Sloug stopped in Egypt, where environmental protests led to its expulsion. When the ship reached Turkish shores in February 2023, similar protests occurred.

Environmental organizations have alleged that the ship was used to store hazardous materials and may contain as much as 6,000 tons of toxic chemical residue. Shipbreaking firms, however, reject these allegations, claiming that the Sloug was never employed as an oil storage vessel.

In the wake of the fire, environmental advocates have called for an urgent investigation and a temporary halt to all dismantling work at the site until the vessel is deemed safe from an environmental standpoint.