Fire On Maersk Frankfurt Off Karwar Coast Contained After 24 Hours, 1 Crew Missing

A massive fire on the Maersk Frankfurt, a merchant vessel off the Karwar coast, was brought under control after more than 24 hours, but one of the ship’s 21 crew members remains missing, according to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on July 20, 2024.

The incident began on July 19, 2024 afternoon, when the Coast Guard received a distress call at 2:10 p.m.

The vessel is currently 17 miles from Karwar in Karnataka, according to an ICG release.

The Maersk chartered Panama-flagged vessel was sailing from Mundra to Colombo when an explosion started a fire.

Maersk reported the loss of one crew member, whose body was discovered in the lashing bridge but was still inaccessible due to the fire.

The remaining crew members are safe.

Efforts to extinguish the fire have continued, with the Coast Guard deploying four vessels and a helicopter dropping 150 kg of dry chemical powder onto the fire.

@IndiaCoastGuard continues its robust response to the fire onboard MV #MaerskFrankfurt. The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship. #ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat are ongoing with fire-fighting operations. Additionally,… pic.twitter.com/ZXx2E1fYRP

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) July 20, 2024

Video Credits: Indian Coast Guard/X

The Deputy Inspector General of the Indian Coast Guard-Goa stated that the efforts to stop the fire are still ongoing, though it is under control but not completely extinguished.

The ICG expects it would take another three to four days to entirely extinguish the fire, which is still burning within containers at the vessel’s fore.

According to preliminary reports, the fire was caused by a short-circuit.

Cargo fires on container ships are a major issue in the sector, with 64 reported fires over the last five years, according to the 2023 Allianz Safety and Shipping Review.

The TT Club, an insurance company, estimates that a serious ship fire occurs every 60 days.

The fire broke out on the 2024-built Maersk Frankfurt, owned by Tokei Kaiun Ltd and managed by Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement, 100 nautical miles from Goa and 50 nautical miles from Karwar.

The container vessel was travelling from India’s Mundra Port to Sri Lanka’s Port of Colombo, carrying International Maritime dangerous cargo.

A short circuit started the fire in the vessel’s forward section, which spread to the deck and caused containers to fall apart.

Approximately 20 of the 160 containers onboard are on fire.

The Coast Guard was notified after the crew failed to extinguish the fire, and it received the report at noon on July 19.

An aircraft, three Coast Guard vessels (Sachet, Samrat, and Sujeet), and an Emergency Towing Vessel from Mumbai Port were deployed to the location of the incident.

The 76,500 DWT Maersk Frankfurt, with a capacity of 5920 TEU, is a new addition, having been delivered to its Japanese owners in May.

According to media sources, the region is experiencing adverse weather conditions and heavy rainfall, obstructing firefighting efforts.

The Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command’s Maritime Operations Centre and the Information Fusion Centre of the Indian Ocean Region have been notified of the situation.

Given the extreme weather and the risk to lives, vessel owners have been advised to arrange a tug to control the drift and tow the ship if required.

As firefighting efforts continue, the situation remains critical, with containers constantly exploding.

Reference: PTI

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Source: Maritime Shipping News