Maersk Frankfurt Catches Fire On Maiden Voyage
A fire broke out on the Maersk Frankfurt container ship in the Arabian Sea near India, which led to explosions on board and the tragic death of one Filipino crew member.
The 5,500 teu vessel, which was carrying unspecified dangerous goods, was on its maiden voyage and the fire is understood to have been caused by an electrical short circuit leading to flames and thick smoke emanating from its starboard side.
The situation is understood to now be under control after the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) fought the fire for three days using a water jet to cool down smouldering containers and dropping dry chemical bags onto the deck from a helicopter.
A four member salvage team has now successfully boarded the vessel, which includes chemical experts to assess the ongoing risk of the dangerous goods aboard. The affected area will remain heated for some time, which could lead to the fire reigniting.
The vessel, which was carrying 1154 containers enroute to Colombo, had only been delivered to it’s Japanese owner in May and had recently been charted by Maersk Line.
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