Fire Onboard 8,500 TEU Container Ship Extinguished After 20 Hours

Fire onboard the Container Ship Stratford was contained, thanks to the swift response of the Chinese authorities, who saved the ship and its 25-member crew.

The fire was reported on July 28, 2025, onboard the Liberian-flagged ship chartered by OOCL.

The 101,496 DWT ship was constructed in 2006 and is managed by Oltmann of Germany, and has a capacity of 8500 TEU.

It had left Shenzhen, China and was going to Vietnam when the incident happened. The ship was 190 nm northwest of the coast, close to Nansha in southern China, near Hong Kong.

China’s Ministry of Transport stated that the call for help was passed by the Salvage Bureau to the South China Sea Rescue Bureau.

Patrol ship, the Nanhai Jiu 116, was sent, along with a rescue helicopter, to quickly assess the situation.

The fire was located in 4 of the containers kept towards the ship’s front side. After the patrol boat reached the scene, a team of specialists boarded the container ship and began the operation, which continued for 20 hours.

By the afternoon of July 30, 2025, the temperature of the containers returned to normal, and the fire was extinguished.

They monitored for any signs to prevent the fire from starting again. Per the latest reports, the fire did not start again, and the Nanhai Jiu 116 was escorting the ship to safety.

The container ship reached Vietnam yesterday, on August 5, 2025.

The incident was reported by the Ministry to show China’s concern for the safety of international shipping routes in the South China Sea.

It said that this incident showcases China’s ability to respond to rescues in distant waters successfully.

Source: Maritime Shipping News