A fire erupted on the Maersk Frankfurt container ship near the Indian coast, reportedly carrying IMDG cargo. A fire caused by a short circuit led to explosions and the death of a Filipino crew member.
A fire has broken out on the container ship Maersk Frankfurt near the Karwar region of Karnataka, India. The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday, 19 July.
According to local media, a fire caused by a short circuit led to explosions and the death of a Filipino seaman.
The Maersk Frankfurt’s crew had 21 members: 17 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, one Russian, and one Montenegrin.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships and aircraft continued their efforts on Monday to tackle the fire aboard the Maersk Frankfurt. A four-member salvage team, including chemical experts, has successfully boarded the vessel. Three ICG ships and ICG ALH helicopters have been working to suppress the fire, which intermittently reignites. Currently, thick smoke is emanating from the fire’s origin on the merchant vessel, positioned approximately 35 nautical miles southwest of Mangalore.
On Sunday, the ICG stated that the fire had spread to the starboard side of the vessel, particularly affecting the lower stacked containers. The vessel’s master confirmed the presence of flames on the starboard side. Additionally, the owner of the Maersk Frankfurt has deployed a salvage team.
The vessel, carrying 1,154 containers, is reported to be in stable condition with all machinery, steering, and navigational equipment fully operational.
Previously reported:
On Sunday, Maersk said on X that the ship managers had confirmed the passing of one of the crew members. “The rest of the crew is safe and accounted for,” Maersk added.
The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) announced in a statement that the ship’s operator reported a body in the lashing bridge, but the flames made it impossible to access.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) continues its strong response to the fire on board the Maersk Frankfurt, now entering its third day.
“Although the fire is under control, I wouldn’t say it is fully extinguished,” stated Manoj Bhatia, Deputy Inspector General of the ICG in Goa, the Times of India reported. Bhatia mentioned that it might take another day or two to completely put out the fire.
“We have control over the fire, but due to the containers and based on past experiences, it typically takes 3-4 days to fully extinguish. Even after that, the area remains heated, so we need to keep monitoring it,” Bhatia added.
Maersk confirmed:
Maersk on X confirmed the incident, stating: “We can confirm that a fire was reported onboard one of our time chartered vessels, Maersk Frankfurt, around 14:30 IST while the vessel was sailing from Mundra to Colombo. Firefighting is underway with support from the Indian Coast Guard. The vessel is in stable condition. At the moment, we are unable to confirm the extent of the fire’s impact on the chartered vessel, Maersk Frankfurt. We are in constant touch with the vessel owner and ship managers. The safety of the crew remains the top priority at this moment.”
