Marie Maersk Back Underway to Get Additional Assistance With Container Fire
More than a week after the crew of the containership Marie Maersk reported smoking coming from containers, the fire is controlled but likely still burning. The ship has resumed sailing as it works to get additional help from shore in its efforts to extinguish the fire.
“One container, which has been flooded with water, still shows an elevated temperature while being under control,” reports a spokesperson for Maersk. “Marie Maersk is sailing slowly eastwards off the West African coast to meet another supply vessel with additional firefighting equipment which will be loaded onboard.”
The last AIS signal from the containership showed it sailing at more than 10 knots eastward into the Gulf of Guinea. It had been holding off Liberia on the West Coast during the first phase of the firefight. The ship was bound from Rotterdam to Malaysia and then China when the smoke was spotted on the morning of August 13. The ship initially moved closer to shore so that equipment and personnel could be brought out to aid the efforts.
An external firefighting team boarded the vessel on Tuesday, August 19. Maersk reports together with the crew of Marie Maersk, they have the fire under control, while it is still not completely extinguished.
“The expert Crisis Response Team of Maersk remains in constant touch with the vessel crew, salvage operator, flag state authority, and classification society to take qualified decisions about the next steps,” the spokesperson told The Maritime Executive on August 22. The port of destination is “under contemplation,” with the goal of finding the best solution for the crew, Maersk’s customers and their cargo.
The ship has a rated capacity of just over 19,000 TEU, but it is unclear exactly how many containers are currently aboard and how many might be empties. Maersk says that due to the prevailing conditions in the affected cargo bays, it cannot confirm the exact impact of the fire on each container. The expectation is that the ship will be taken to a port of refuge to offload the damaged containers and ascertain the full extent of the damage.