Salvage specialists and the owner of the “Northern Juvenile” are still negotiating a safe berth with the authorities.
More than two weeks after a fire in one of its hatches, the German container ship “Northern Juvenile” is still looking for a safe anchorage in countries bordering the Strait of Malacca. There, the damage on board will be examined more closely.
According to AIS data, the freighter, which is under charter to CMA CGM, is currently moving forward at minimum speed around 100 nm southwest of Phuket. An offshore supply vessel, an anchor handler and another tug are in the vicinity.
Situation on board the “Northern Juvenile” under control
The shipping company responsible, V. Ships Hamburg, announced via an agency that negotiations were continuing with various authorities regarding a safe anchorage within the region. The crew and external specialists continue to have the situation on board under control.
On May 26, a few days after leaving the port of Singapore, a fire broke out in a cargo hold. V. Ships has commissioned the Dutch company Smit with the salvage under a “Lloyd’s Open Form” (Nor cure, no pay…).
There is no information yet on the extent of the fire damage on board. It is also unclear how the cargo on board is to be delivered or reloaded. The 8,800 TEU vessel was deployed by CMA CGM in the Asia-West Africa Service (ASAF) and was due to reach its destination port of Pointe Noire in Congo on 25 June. With a draught of 16 meters, the ship must be fully loaded.
It is already clear that the cargo owners or their insurers will have to contribute to the costs of rescuing the ship and cargo from a common peril. Several international claims service providers unanimously report that the ship’s shipping company has declared “general average”. Customers of other carriers who have rented berths on the ship are also affected. Hapag-Lloyd, which markets the service for itself as Asia-West Africa Service (AWA), is also involved. (mph)
