Investigators believe something like a battery could have caused a fire to break out on a ship being loaded with scrap in Hull creating a “noxious” cloud of fumes.

People were told to stay indoors and roads were closed after the blaze aboard the Marshall Islands registered bulk carrier Altay at Albert Dock on June 27.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch says the fire – which was put out early the following day - was “likely caused by an undischarged battery or other ignition source, causing a spark during loading that ignited combustible material in the scrap cargo”.

Smoke was spotted rising from the aft cargo hold of the 5,222-tonne vessel around 9.48am by the ship’s master and its firefighting teams were mustered to fight the fire with water. Fire engines also arrived at the scene to assist.

placeholder image — Smoke was spotted rising from the aft cargo hold of the 5,222-tonne vessel around 9.48am by the ship’s master

In a preliminary assessment the MAIB said the scrap had been collected from several sources.

The owner of the cargo loading facility, The Griffiths Group Limited – which ceased trading following the fire -expected its suppliers to screen the scrap to remove hazardous materials.

The deliveries were “visually checked” on arrival. However there was no additional sorting and screening facility to ensure that contaminants were not present, the MAIB said. Altay left port the following month to head to a Turkish dry dock for repairs to steelwork in the cargo hold damaged by heat.