The fire on container ship Marie Maersk has been brought under control after almost two weeks, and the vessel has been deemed safe to resume sailing.
Maersk Line informed Container News that as of 23 August, the fire on the 2013-built 19,076 TEU Marie Maersk is contained, with an external firefighting team on board monitoring the situation continuously.
The Danish company said: “A supply vessel with additional firefighting equipment has reached Marie Maersk on Friday (22 August) evening and transferred special equipment on board Marie Maersk on 23 August.
“After an inspection of affected areas of the vessel and careful consideration of all aspects together with authorities and class, it was deemed safe that Marie Maersk resumes her east-bound voyage around Cape of Good Hope on Sunday. Her next port of destination is under final review, and we will inform as soon as it has been decided.”
Maersk Line added that the external firefighting team will remain on board and special measures have been put in place to ensure a safe journey.
The company continued: “An intermediate stop might be implemented, depending on the optimal place for handling the damaged containers and to mitigate onward disruptions to our ocean network. Our overall goal is to ensure a safe journey and fastest possible delivery of the sound cargo to our customers. Contingency is in place in case the planned journey needs to be revised en route.”
Marie Maersk was sailing from Rotterdam to Malaysia’s Port Klang when it caught fire off Liberia. Vessel-tracking data shows the ship is now off Ghana.
When asked about the cause of the fire, which apparently started in containers on the deck, Maersk Line said it is still being investigated.
