The German-owned AMSTERDAM BRIDGE on Sept. 9 near Mumbai. Image via Shashikallada.com.
The fire on board the containership MV Amsterdam Bridge that broke out earlier this week has been extinguished, the vessels owner said in a statement today.
The MV Amsterdam Bridge caught fire after an explosion in the vessel’s cargo hold #3 while near the Indian port of Nhava Sheva.
“There is no longer any risk for fire on the Amsterdam Bridge,” a spokesman for Thien & Heyenga Bereederungs, who owns the vessel, said.
The explosion occurred on Sunday after the vessel departed the Indian port of Nhava Sheva enroute to Colombo, Sri Lanka with approximately 1,550 containers. None of the 20 crew members were injured in the blast or firefighting efforts and a swift response from the Indian Coast Guard and support vessels prevented the fire from spreading too rapidly.
Currently the vessel is at anchor just outside the approaching channel to the port of Nhava Sheva, near Mumbai. Thien & Heyenga Bereederungs says that a salvage team has already started work on the vessel.
Initial reports indicate that the fire may have started in a container carrying hazardous chemicals however a full investigation will take place.
The 4,380 TEU MV Amsterdam Bridge is currently chartered by the Japan’s “K” Line.
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