A fire aboard the newly-built containership Maersk Frankfurt, chartered to Maersk, was ongoing for more than ten days despite strenuous efforts to fight it, led by the crew and the Indian Coast Guard, with specialists arriving to aid the efforts off the West Coast of India.
The fire was reported to the Indian Coast Guard on 19 July while the 5,920 TEU Maersk Frankfurt was southbound from India to Sir Lanka about 100 nautical miles north of Goa.
The vessel remained approximately 35 nautical miles offshore south of Kasaragod, India with reports that the Indian Coast Guard directed the vessel further offshore into deep water.
The Coast Guard employed five vessels, two helicopters, and its Dornier aircraft in the firefight. Over 1,200kg of dry chemical powder was air dropped into the area of the fire yet pockets of fire and hotspots persist. Two Coast Guard vessels went alongside spraying millions of gallons of water on the fire and cooling the area while the Coast Guard has reported the primary fire was doused.
Smoke continued to billow from the area with pictures showing stacks of boxes that appear to have collapsed. Indian media reports indicated that infra-red imagery revealed a reduction in hotspots with the fire primarily around Bay 18 on the starboard side.
There was no explanation as to what continued to feed the fire, but the cargo manifest syugested there were dangerous materials aboard the vessel.
The Coast Guard also assisted in embarking five salvors to Maersk Frankfurt. The vessel’s owners, a Japanese company, hired “a specialized salvage agency to manage firefighting and disposal efforts,” the Coast Guard reported.
Three tugs in the area assisted in shuttling equipment to the vessel. By 30 July a larger offshore vessel, AHTS Valiant, had arrive from Sharjah, India to assist further.
The Coast Guard said despite challenging conditions, the situation was got under control. One crewmember died in the early stages of the fire but the other crew remains safe and aboard the vessel.
It was stated that the fire was started by an electrical short circuit and the crew called for assistance late on Friday 19 July 2024 when they were unable to suppress the fire.
The vessel had a crew of 21 aboard but the Indian Coast Guard reported that an evacuation was not required.
