MSC Says Water Ingress Caused Precautionary Evacuation of Container Vessel
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company released a statement on the incident aboard its vessel MSC Hermes III a week and a half ago off Vietnam. The company stated that the evacuation of the vessel was a precautionary response to water ingress that happened on September 22.
The Singapore Maritime and Ports Authority had reported that the crew abandoned the vessel, which was built in 2006, on the morning of September 22 while it was about 186 miles east of Vietnam. The 25 crewmembers were taken aboard another MSC container vessel while tugs were dispatched to help the drifting containership.
MSC says the master of the vessel had ordered the crew to abandon the vessel as a precaution after MSC Hermes III (38,193 dwt) experienced water ingress in the engine room. After an assessment of the vessel, the crew returned to the ship on an unspecified date.
The Vietnamese authorities reported that they conducted a medical evacuation after one of the crewmembers fell and sustained a head injury on September 28 as the vessel was approaching the Vung Tau port. MSC, in its statement, says the crewmember is “recovering well.”
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The ship remains berthed in Vung Tau, where MSC reports an incident investigation and subsequent repairs are being completed, as well as cargo discharge. The company’s online system showed the vessel scheduled to depart on October 3 and proceeding to proceed to Singapore and then Hong Kong.
The MSC Hermes III has been sailing for MSC since 2020 and is registered in Liberia. The 212-meter (695-foot) vessel has a capacity of 2,490 TEU. The container vessel operates on a regional service that connects China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
