Fellow stevedores rushed to the aid of the operator who was rescued unharmed following the incident around 0630 on Sunday (Brazil time) at the Port of Itaqui in São Luís in the northern state of Maranhão. 
Tugs were used to bring the fire under control at “Shed 101”. Maranhão Port Authority (EMPA) reported only “material damage” and while there were five other vessels alongside at the time, it interrupted only one, the Steven C, at nearby Shed 100.
Operations resumed at 1330 with the South Korean-owned, Panama-flagged Nord Trust moved to Shed 102 to complete the discharge of approximately 48,000mt of coal. The 55,693 dwt bulk carrier, built in 2009, had berthed in Itaqui on 19 September.
EMPA has opened an internal investigation into the cause of the fire which follows a “significant” blaze at the same port in late January 2015 at the facilities of Suzano, a major exporter of cellulose.
