By Omar Bah
Momodou Hydara, the managing director of Jah Oil Companies, has been explaining the recent fire incident at the Gambia naval base in Banjul which killed two people and injured a few others.
The incident involved a fuel tanker that was hired by Jah Oil, which exploded during the delivery of the fuel.
The Gambia Armed Forces and local authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Initially, it was reported that the fuel tanker belonged to Jah Oil.
However, according to Mr Hydara, the tanker was hired to deliver products, and the original driver and the vehicle’s owners are experienced in the field. He stated that since the incident occurred, the company has been actively engaging the victims and the military.
“We have already evacuated one of the victims to Senegal for treatment, and we are monitoring the condition of the others,” Hydara told journalists at a press conference yesterday.
To address what he called misinformation circulating about the tanker’s ownership, Hydara said: “We do not yet know what exactly happened or what caused the explosion. We have a longstanding contract with the Gambia Navy, but when the contract was due, all of our trucks were engaged, so we decided to hire a truck for the delivery.”
Hydara explained that the explosion occurred while the fuel was being discharged, but it remains unclear what triggered it.
“There are many speculations about the cause of the incident, but we cannot verify those claims authoritatively until the survivours have recovered and can recount what happened.”
He noted that it has been established that the truck driver handed the vehicle over to another driver who is believed to lack the necessary experience to safely dispense fuel at the Navy.
“This is the first time Jah Oil has experienced such a devastating incident involving fire,” he added.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the Chief of Defense Staff, Mamat Cham, has engaged the company to construct a safer fuel storage facility at the Navy. “We have accepted the request and offered to build an underground fuel storage tank at the base with no cost on the army.”
