Last Friday, a fire broke out on the container ship ‘Maersk Frankfurt’. The vessel was reported to be carrying IMDG code cargo, a classification of hazardous materials. Maersk has stated that the ship is in a ‘stable condition’. According to reports on Monday morning, the fire has been extinguished, although smoke is still emanating from the ship. Maersk confirmed to Reuters that a fire incident occurred on one of their chartered ships travelling from Mundra (India) to Colombo (Sri Lanka).
The fire was reported around 14:30 local time, and the ship’s crew, with support from Indian authorities, has been engaged in firefighting efforts, Maersk said. The fire was caused by a short circuit, leading to explosions and the death of a Filipino sailor, local media reported, adding that there were 21 crew members on board.
Maersk posted the following statement on X: “The fire is being tackled with the support of the Indian Coast Guard. The ship is in a stable condition. At this time, we cannot yet confirm the extent to which the chartered ship, the ‘Maersk Frankfurt’, has been affected by the fire. We remain in constant contact with the ship’s owner and ship managers. The safety of the crew remains our highest priority at this moment.” The ‘Maersk Frankfurt’ has a capacity of nearly 6,000 TEU and has only been in service for three months. It was delivered this year by Imabari Shipbuilding to Bernhard Shulte Shipmanagement, from whom Maersk has chartered it.
A significant fire incident was reported on a container cargo merchant vessel 102 nautical miles off the coast of the Western Indian state of Goa on Friday (19 July). Two ships from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) responded to the distress calls of the vessel, which was en route to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo from Gujarat’s Mundra port. A Dornier aircraft was also dispatched to conduct an aerial assessment of the situation. The ICG reported that the vessel was carrying Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG), resulting in explosions on the front side of the vessel.
Despite rough sea and weather conditions, the ICG ship was engaged in firefighting and rescue operations, according to a statement from the coast guard.
The ICG reported that two ships were dispatched from Goa to support the firefighting efforts. “To bolster the efforts, another ICG ship, ‘Abhinav’, was deployed, along with an advanced light helicopter to rescue the crew. A technical ICG team boarded the distressed vessel, carried out de-flooding operations, and provided necessary assistance. The operation concluded with the rescue of all crew members and the vessel,” the ministry added.
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