Scottish Fire and Rescue say there have been no injuries at the blaze at the Clydeport coal terminal.
Around 10 appliances from Ardrossan, Largs and Kilmarnock Community Fire Stations attended the fire which broke out around 10am this morning.
The crews were faced with a well developed fire in a ship loader and conveyor system used for loading coal from the terminal.
The Incident Commander immediately requested additional appliances from Dalry and Dreghon Community Fire Stations to assist in dealing with the incident.
During the operation crews had to be withdrawn to a safe distance as a precautionary measure due to the partial collapse of a section of the machinery.
Further resources including a firefighting tug, a high reach appliance and ground monitors were also deployed.
Firefighting operations are ongoing but the fire has now been contained.
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