A fire broke out on a boat docked at Port Moselle, located between the market and the restaurant Le Bout du Monde in Moselle, France. The fire reportedly started around 11 pm last night. The boat, a 6 to 8-meter long semi-rigid vessel, was part of the fleet of ships used for maritime shuttles to connect the southern part of Mont-Dore to Nouméa.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported during the fire. Authorities are investigating whether the fire was intentionally set. The boat belonged to a private company but was chartered to transport residents from the southern part of the town, which has been divided due to serious incidents on the road near the Saint-Louis tribe.
Residents of the southern part of Mont-Dore have been stranded for over two months due to the road closures. The Mondorian Citizen Association raised awareness about their situation yesterday and announced a mobilization for July 14th. The Mixed Union of Urban Transport (SMTU), responsible for public transportation in the Nouméa metropolitan area, including maritime shuttles, had their network completely destroyed, and their headquarters and operational center were also set on fire on Monday morning.
In addition, Météo France has issued a strong wind warning, which may cause the maritime shuttles to be halted for safety reasons.
Despite the fire, the maritime shuttle services continue
The South Province, which funds the boat rotations between Port Moselle, Boulari, and the southern part of Mont-Dore, strongly condemns the criminal act of setting fire to the maritime shuttle at Port Moselle. This incident further isolates a population that has been struggling for weeks.
The provincial government expresses its full support for Nautica, one of the 13 service providers offering maritime solidarity connections. They assure that the shuttle services will continue until normal road access on RP1 is restored by the State. However, there may be some schedule modifications due to the fire, and users will be informed accordingly.
Lastly, the Blue House calls on the State to enhance surveillance at the docks where boats are moored to prevent such incidents from happening again.