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Ghost Ship: Fire On Cork Coast Wreck Alta 'Substantially Extinguished'

30th April 2021
Two units of Cork County Council's Fire Service in attendance at the scene of a fire on board the shipwrecked MV Alta near Ballycotton, Co. Cork. Two units of Cork County Council's Fire Service in attendance at the scene of a fire on board the shipwrecked MV Alta near Ballycotton, Co. Cork. Credit: Cork County Council - twitter

Today, Friday (30 April) will see fire crews resume their attempts to put out a blaze onboard (Alta) a so-called ghost ship on the Cork coast.

A spokesperson from Cork County Council (see related story) said firefighting operations ended around 9pm on Thursday night "due to the rising tide and poor light".

The fire was, they said, "substantially extinguished" and is due to be assessed on Friday morning.

Council chiefs and gardaí have again urged members of the public to avoid the area and not to attempt to gain access to the wreck which "has been further damaged by the fire and is in an unsafe condition".

Gardaì will continue to monitor the situation overnight.

The Cork County Fire Service was called out to the scene of the MV Alta (an abandoned ship that ran aground last year) near Ballycotton, East Cork, on Thursday afternoon.

For more on this development, the Irish Examiner reports. 

Published in Coastal Notes
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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