23m Nordhavn "Kahu" Up In Flames

It's always sad to see megayachts go on fire or sink and that's what happened the 23m (75ft) Nordhavn "Kahu" on Tuesday afternoon on the 5th of November whilst she was docked at East Cowes Marina. The fire started onboard Kahu just after 13.00 and the incident was attended by the Fire, Police and Cowes Harbour Commission Services.

Credit to George Chastney

Teams tackled the fire from nearby pontoons and with the assistance of Cowes Harbour Commission's 16m Multi-Cat Seaclear. Despite this, the Kahu sadly sank at 22.45 on Tuesday evening, with approximately 8,000 litres of marine diesel fuel oil on board. Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) deployed oil spill prevention booms around the vessel during the fire.

Cowes Harbour Commission’s response was directed by Harbour Master Capt. Stuart McIntosh, who immediately activated CHC’s Harbour Emergency Plan and Oil Spill Response Plan in order to minimise the impact of any potential pollution incident arising from the sunken vessel.

Capt. Stuart McIntosh reported: "Cowes Harbour Commission has a well planned and rehearsed response for pollution incidents with back-up from specialist Oil Spill Response contractor Adler and Allan. The majority of the diesel fuel appears to be contained within the vessel’s fuel tanks. The team from Adler and Allen mobilised their oil spill emergency response unit yesterday evening, which is still on scene, and involved deploying further oil booms around the vessel to minimise any potential pollution."

"CHC has a statutory obligation to have an effective Oil Spill Response Plan in place, and our staff are trained to respond to just such an incident. We continuously review and update the plan, and hold regular exercises to test effectiveness so that we are prepared for scenarios like the unfortunate sinking of the Kahu."

Adler and Allan are still working with Cowes Harbour Commission to contain and recover the oil from the incident. Thank you to Capt. Stuart McIntosh for the comments on the indecent.