Cargo ship fire tenth in 14 years: ATSB

A cargo ship fire at a WA port occurred when a plasma torch was used incorrectly, ATSB has found. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

A fire that burned for three days on a ship berthed at a West Australian port was the tenth on a vessel owned by the German parent company, a report has found.

The BBC Rhonetal was docked at Port Hedland when the fire was sparked in the lower cargo hold as the crew used a plasma torch to cut welded sea fastenings in March 2021, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found.