MSC Flaminia Continues to List and Smolder While Nearing British Coast

Firefighting from the Fairmount Expedition

MSC Flaminia and her cargo of smoldering containers has nearly reached the coast of the UK and British authorities are currently working on sorting out a suitable anchorage for her while salvors continue to keep a close eye on the listing vessel. Accompanied by a group of tugs, she is currently located 170 nautical miles off the coast of the UK and progresses at a speed of four knots.

Due to damaged cargo and extinguishing water, the vessel is listing by 11 degrees.

After the prevailing fog of the last days lifted, a team of firefighting experts was able to board MSC Flaminia yesterday. However, a closer inspection of the cargo holds was not possible due to the ongoing generation of heat. The ship’s own firefighting system was switched off.

Reederei NSB reports that overall, the situation onboard MSC Flaminia has improved. The emission of smoke from cargo holds 4 and 5 has declined significantly, yet hotspots inside of individual containers are still of concern.

Today a team of firefighting experts plans to board the Flaminia in order to eliminate any fires that continue to smolder inside of the containers, however it is yet unclear when a one-by-one inspection of containers can commence.