A vessel carrying one thousand tonnes of metallic waste caught fire at Newport Docks on Sunday, April 26.

The blaze started on board the M/V Nord Houston, which was docked at a private berth operated by a customer.

Roughly twenty fire appliances and multiple specialist units attended the scene.

Entry to the dock area was sealed off, and members of the public in the SDR district and surrounding localities reported seeing the flames.

An ABP spokesperson indicated that following the incident on Sunday April 26 on the M/V Nord Houston at a customer’s facility within the Port of Newport, the fire was brought under control and extinguished by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service with support from the ship’s crew and emergency responders.

All crew members and port workers were confirmed safe with no casualties reported.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service maintained a presence at the location through Sunday night as a safety precaution, and all involved parties have now established a protocol for removing the affected cargo.

ABP continues to work closely with terminal operators, ship owners, and emergency services to manage incidents safely and to review circumstances following any closure to ensure appropriate controls and procedures remain in place.

Residents in the area were disturbed by the ship’s foghorn, with some reportedly waking around five in the morning.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service published striking footage illustrating the magnitude of the firefighting operation.

A South Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson remarked that at three twenty in the afternoon on Sunday, the remaining resources at the site comprised pumps from Duffryn, Maindee’s fire engine and aerial ladder platform, New Inn, Cwmbran’s high-volume pump, Cardiff Central’s pump and aerial ladder platform, Whitchurch, Ebbw Vale’s boat and line rescue unit, and the incident command team.

Firefighters would remain on location for the next twelve to twenty-four hours to continue monitoring conditions and prevent any re-ignition.

There was no threat to the public, and operations were being safely scaled back.

Chris Hadfield, head of operational risk management for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, observed that crews had demonstrated exceptional dedication throughout the day to bring this challenging situation under control.

Though the incident had stabilised, fire service personnel would continue to stay at Newport Docks to monitor conditions and ensure the fire did not flare up again.

The cooperation between partner agencies and the public during this event was appreciated.

The cause of the fire remains the subject of investigation.