Artisanal Tuna Boat Destroyed By Fire In Manta Port

A small-scale tuna fishing boat that was moored at Manta Port caught fire in the wee hours of Sunday. The cause is unknown and luckily no injuries were reported. The boat, named ‘Jostin,’ had arrived in port on Saturday night after a fishing trip and was docked to unload its cargo. Firefighters arrived at the spot around 7 am and managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby vessels. It took them several hours to extinguish it. The owner of the boat, whose details are unknown, was not present at the time.

Nearly 400 to 500 tons of tuna and other seafood were destroyed in the accident. “60 percent of the ship was affected, mainly the command and fishing decks,” reported Ecuadorian news sites.