A Maersk Line containership suffered an engine room fire that left the ship adrift in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Guadeloupe.
The 1,800-TEU Maersk Vilnius was traveling to Port Elizabeth, South Africa from Freeport, Bahamas when the fire broke out.
The fire was eventually brought under control and extinguished with no injures suffered by the ship’s crew.
The Alp Defender later arrived on scene to bring the containership undertow. AIS ship tracking data shows the ALP Defender has a destination of Manzanillo, Panama.
“The vessel remains at sea in a safe area. Required firefighting measures were promptly deployed by vessel’s crew and fire has been extinguished. Vessel power has been restored, including the power to reefer units on board,” Maersk Line said in a statement.
The M/V Maersk Vilnius was built in 2010 and is registered in Singapore.
The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is proving both costly and profitable for container shipping, with Gemini Cooperation partners Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd reporting sharply higher operating costs alongside stronger...
Danish shipping group Maersk MAERSKb.CO on Thursday smashed profit forecasts and raised its full-year earnings guidance for a second time this year as the Middle East conflict, port congestion and strong demand pushed freight rates higher.
The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 22 crew members from a vehicle carrier after an engine room fire forced the crew to abandon ship roughly 630 miles south...
August 10, 2026
Total Views: 3783
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 104,380 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 104,380 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.