External Firefighters Join Marie Maersk Crew in Battle Against Container Fire Off West Africa

External firefighter crews have joined the Marie Maersk’s crew in actively combating a fire that broke out aboard the vessel one week ago, according to the latest update released today.

While the fire has been contained, it has not yet been fully suppressed, and decisions regarding a port of refuge remain under consideration.

The incident began on Aug. 13 when crew members detected smoke coming from containers while the Danish-flagged vessel was en route from Rotterdam, The Netherlands to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia. The containership, positioned off the Liberian coast, has maintained operational stability throughout the emergency.

“The crew is safe and the vessel is in stable condition, with all machinery, steering and navigational equipment fully operational,” Maersk confirmed in a statement.

External support has been crucial in the containment efforts, with three tugboats and one Platform Supply Vessel with firefighting equipment reaching the vessel in recent days, helping to strengthen the crew’s ongoing firefighting operations.

Maersk’s Crisis Response Team remains in constant communication with the vessel crew throughout the emergency. The company has indicated that the vessel will be diverted to a port of refuge, though the specific location is still under consideration.

“Due to the prevailing conditions in the respective cargo bays we still cannot confirm the exact impact of the fire on the cargo yet,” Maersk stated.

The Marie Maersk is a Triple-E class containership with a nominal capacity of 19,076 TEU and was built in 2013. At 399 meters in length and 59 meters in width, it ranks as one of the world’s largest container vessels.

This incident adds to a concerning pattern of container vessel fires in recent years, highlighting ongoing safety challenges facing the shipping industry as vessels continue to increase in size and capacity.

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