Evacuated Crew From Maersk Honam On Land, Firefighting at Sea Continues

The evacuated crew from Maersk Honam are on land. While some are receiving medical care, others have been released from the hospital.

Evacuated crew members have disembarked in the cities of Cochin and Trivandrum in Southern India. They have all received professional medical treatment and are offered crisis counselling, and a majority have been transferred to a hotel. Of the crew members that remain hospitalized some are currently receiving intensive care.

“We are relieved that a majority of our colleagues have been released from the hospital. We, however, remain deeply concerned about the health condition of our colleagues still in the hospital and are grateful that they are in the capable hands of medical professionals. We are in regular contact with the hospitals and monitor the situation of all our colleagues,” says Palle Laursen, Chief Technical Officer for Maersk.

The search continues to locate the four crew members still missing after the fire aboard Maersk Honam that began on Tuesday 6 March although hopes of finding them are fading.

Ongoing firefighting

The Indian Coast Guard has a vessel present onsite which initiated firefighting during Thursday 8 March. Further, specialised firefighting vessels have been engaged and the first two vessels arrived on location in the early morning on 9 March local time where they initiated the firefighting.

“We are appreciative of the partnering assistance we’ve received from local Indian authorities and we must now let the salvage team do their work. It is still too early to determine the cause of the fire or the impact to the vessel or cargo. Obviously, finding the cause of the fire is very important to us and a full investigation will be conducted as soon as possible.

”The salvage operation is led by Smit Salvage and Ardent – two best-in-class companies within maritime salvage operations. Maersk Line is cooperating with the salvors and has sent two technical engineers to Salalah, Oman, to work closely with Smit and Ardent.

Press Release