A serious fire occurred on board the “Maersk Frankfurt,” which was only a month old. One sailor died in the blaze.
Ships, helicopters and aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard were busy extinguishing the fire throughout the weekend. It has not yet been completely contained.
Explosion on the deck of the “Maersk Frankfurt”
The 5,500 TEU containership, which sails under the flag of Panama, first reported a fire on the foredeck on last Friday. According to the Panama Maritime Authority, there was an explosion on deck that started the fire. At the time, the ship was off Goa and on its way to Colombo in Sri Lanka.
The crew had reported a body on deck, which was not accessible due to the flames. The Indian authorities were, therefore, concentrating on extinguishing the fire to ensure the safety of the ship and crew.
The “Maersk Frankfurt” belongs to the Japanese company Tokai Kaiun and was only delivered a month ago. It is under charter to Maersk and is operated by a Hong Kong branch of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanangement. The Panama Maritime Authority assured the responsible authorities and the shipping company of the greatest possible support in the case.
