December 4, 2025: Batteries are suspected of being the cause of a major fire on a cargo ship docked in the UK earlier this year, investigators have concluded.

The blaze broke out on the Marshall Islands-registered bulk carrier Altay on the morning of June 27, while scrap metal was being loaded into the vessel’s aft cargo hold at Albert Dock in Hull.

A preliminary assessment of the incident, published by the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) on November 27, said an undischarged battery or other ignition source likely caused a spark that ignited combustible material in the scrap cargo.

The cargo had been classified as group ‘C’ scrap metal under the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, which did not require the shipper to declare hazard identification and cargo composition. However, the scrap contained hazardous impurities, including batteries, oil drums, and oily residues, which posed a fire risk, MAIB said.

The fire was not distinguished until the early hours of the next day and, although there were no injuries, smoke and continuously evaporating water created a noxious cloud that drifted over the local area.

MAIB said the scrap cargo was later removed and analyzed. An inspection of the Altay on July 14 found significant heat damage to structural steelwork in the aft cargo hold. The vessel, owned by Beyaz Denizcilik Ltd Şti, was allowed to leave port on July 27 for drydock repairs in Turkey.

Beyaz Denizcilik has since stressed the importance of cargo loading monitoring and pre-loading inspection to its crews, MAIB said. Meanwhile, the owner of the cargo loading facility involved, The Griffiths Group, has ceased trading.

The UK incident came just weeks after customs chiefs in the Dutch port of Rotterdam launched an investigation into the discovery of an illegal shipment of hazardous old and discarded lead batteries, suspected to be on route for processing in India’s unregulated sector.

There was no appropriate permit and the cargo was incorrectly labelled as comprising non-hazardous plastic waste and metal residues.