A toxic chemical spill triggered a rush-hour alert at Hamilton docks as firefighters wearing breathing masks raced to contain a sulphuric acid scare on the container ship.

Emergency crews hosed down the top deck of the boat, where the bulk of a 250 litre drum of the substance had leaked during the trip from New Jersey. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Lt. Wenda Godfrey, of the Bermuda Fire Service, said it appeared that one of six sulphuric acid tubs stored on a palette on the had slipped off and leaked. The palette was removed from the once it arrived in Hamilton. Some of the sulphuric acid still in the leaking drum appeared to spill on the docks before firefighters covered the affected area in sand.

?We have two men in breathing apparatus on the ship washing it down,? Lt. Godfrey told at the scene. ?And we have two other men in breathing apparatus trying to contain with sand what little liquid was left in the drum.?

She said that sulphuric acid was toxic when inhaled and dangerous when contact was made with the skin.

Inquiries were ongoing to find out who owned the chemical at the centre of the scare. ?At this stage we do not know who it belongs to,? she added, stating that it looked like a strap had slipped off one of the drums during the voyage.

Lt. Godfrey said such spills were rare. A fire service emergency plan to deal with chemical spills swung into action yesterday, although an emergency support unit on the dockside, dealing with hazardous material leaks, was not needed.

Six fire trucks and eleven firefighters attended the call out just before 9 a.m. yesterday, when the rush-hour commute was in full flow.arrived in Hamilton at about 8.15 a.m. And Maurice Brimmer, superintendent at Hamilton docks, said staff were aware of the spill as soon as the boat berthed, carrying a total of 123 containers.

?We were alerted by the personnel on the boat,? added Mr. Brimmer, who said he was not certain how the chemical spilled on the deck, although a hole in the drum may have been behind the leak.

An eyewitness said that a morning downpour led to the acid ?smoking up? from the floor around the palette, before firefighters quickly moved to sand it down during the clean-up operation.