Fire at Turkish Iskenderun port extinguished

A fire that engulfed hundreds of shipping containers at Türkiye's Iskenderun Port after massive earthquakes in the region has been extinguished, the defence ministry said on February 7, but it was not clear when operations would resume at the port.

Türkiye's maritime authority said on February 7 that the port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Türkiye and neighbouring Syria, Reuters reports.

Drone footage showed fierce flames blackening hundreds of containers on the dock, with water jets from a fire truck dwarfed by the scale of the blaze that broke out on Monday. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky.

Turkish shipping agency Tribeca said earlier on February 7 some cargo areas of Limak port at the Iskenderun complex were still on fire.

The blaze led to the shutdown of all operations at the terminal until further notice and forced freight liners to divert vessels to other ports.

The defence ministry said later on February 7 the fire was put out thanks to efforts by military helicopters and planes after Monday's efforts to douse the flames from offshore failed.

Leading global container shipping group AP Moller Maersk said there had been significant damage to logistics and transport infrastructure around the earthquake epicentre, including at the Port of Iskenderun.

It said it was looking to re-route ships as needed, given the "severe structural damage, leading to a complete stop of all operations until further notice".

"We will need to perform a change of destination for all bookings bound for the port or already on the water. We are currently planning to divert containers to nearby hubs within operational feasibility or hold at transhipment ports - including Port of Mersin (in Türkiye) and Port Said (in Egypt)."