Fire on Chinese Car Carrier Appears to Flare Up After a Month
Officials in Panama are reporting that they are monitoring the salvage efforts on the Chinese car carrier Min Jiang Kou as a hot spot was detected more than a month after an engine room fire disabled the vessel. Images on Panama TV appear to show smoke billowing from the stern of the car carrier, with tugs working to cool the vessel.
The Panama Maritime Authority had granted permission for the salvage operation to tow the vessel into a position offshore. The plan was to further stabilize the vessel and then begin a tow across the Pacific to a shipyard. The salvage effort, being led by Resolve Marine, was working to stabilize the vessel.
On the night of September 7, the authorities in Panama said a temperature increase was detected on the ship. They said that technical evaluations were underway to determine the status of the vessel, which is offshore from Panama.
The TV images show one of the three reported tugs spraying water on the vessel as part of a cooling effort. The vessel remains abandoned with on onboard power.
The Min Jiang Kou had only entered service two years ago with a special maiden voyage in July 2024 from Dubai. The vessel, which is 19,181 dwt with a capacity of 7,500 vehicles, is operated by COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers. It is an LNG-fueled carrier that was built as part of a fleet expansion program by COSCO. It also made the first RoRo delivery a year ago to Peru’s Chancay port, which was developed by China and COSCO. The ship is 200 meters (656 feet) long with 13 vehicle decks, and it is registered in the Marshall Islands.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported it received a distress alert from the vessel at midday on August 8 while it was approximately 630 miles south of Costa Rica. The car carrier reported an engine room fire but said the crew had sealed the space and used the carbon dioxide fire suppression system. It initially appeared to be containing the fire.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
About 12 hours after the first report, the vessel reported increased smoke aboard and that the captain had ordered the 22 crewmembers to abandon the ship and enter the lifeboat. The USCG directed two nearby vessels, Jin Hai Ping and Degu, to assist, and they recovered the crew from the lifeboat. The crew was aboard the Jin Hai Ping and was being transported to Japan.
Salvage teams reported the vessel had been stabilized by late August and was being towed. The initial stop was Panama before heading to an Asian shipyard.
