Maersk Reports Crew Stopped Spread of Container Fire on Vessel Off Africa
The container fire, which began last week on one of Maersk’s lager boxships, Marie Maersk, is believed to have stopped spreading, as firefighting efforts are expected to intensify. The 19,000 TEU vessel remains off the coast of Africa while the company is considering a port of refuge as the first step toward determining the full extent of the damage.
“This was also achieved thanks to the assistance of four assets, three tugboats and a Platform Supply Vessel,” said Maersk in its update. The company said the vessels had brought firefighting equipment to the Marie Maersk over the past days, and AIS signals show they remain in proximity to the ship. “We expect firefighting efforts to intensify further once the external firefighters can board Marie Maersk.”
The crew reported smoke coming from containers on the vessel early on August 13 while they were bound from Rotterdam to Malaysia and China. Maersk has said the crew remains safe with all machinery, steering, and navigational equipment fully operational. The Marie Maersk was diverted towards the West African coast to get landside support as fast as possible, and because of the large number of vessels diverting around Africa, additional Maersk vessels and others have also been in the vicinity.
“Due to the prevailing conditions in the respective cargo bays, we still cannot confirm the exact impact of the fire on the cargo yet,” Maersk stated. The goal is to get the vessel into a port of refuge where they can offload damaged containers and complete an inspection to determine the extent of the spread of the fire, smoke, and heat. The company has not said how many containers are aboard currently, but because they are outbound from Europe, it is possible the vessel is not fully loaded or is carrying empties.
Maersk reports the vessel will be diverted to a port of refuge, which is under contemplation. The goal is to get landside support as fast as possible.
The challenge is also finding a port that is willing to accept the vessel and has the capabilities to handle a container fire. In the case of the Maersk Frankfurt, which caught fire off India in July 2024, after the fire was brought under control, the vessel diverted to the Middle East. Another operator, X-Press Feeders, is again highlighting that ports in Qatar, India, and Sri Lanka refused permission when its vessel X-Press Pearl was desperately seeking refuge with a leaking container that ultimately caught fire and contributed to the total loss of the vessel.
Top photo from 2016 by Tvabutzku1234 - CC0 1.0