On the fifth day of the firefight aboard the Maersk Frankfurt, the Indian Coast Guard is reporting that the major fires aboard the containership have been doused. They are continuing to cool the area and combat fire reflash.
The containership is being held offshore at this time with the last report placing her 13 nautical miles west of New Mangalore with the Coast Guard saying she was heading toward deeper waters. The teams have been battling the fires in what was termed “extreme monsoon conditions.”
The Indian Coast Guard supplied the first details about the cargo aboard the vessel reporting there are 1,154 containers. Images appear to show the fire centered on three to four stacks forward with some damage to a fifth stack further aft.
Casualty claims consultant WK Webster is reporting that as of July 22 the owners of the Maersk Frankfurt, a Japanese company, have declared General Averages. In addition, WK Webster is advising with a salvage consultant retained “salvage security will also need to be provided on behalf of all cargo interests in addition to the GA security.”
A team of four salvage experts from SMIT was placed aboard the Maersk Frankfurt with the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard. They have begun to survey the damage and develop a plan as white smoke continues to billow from some of the containers. The fires have reignited the report says due to the packages inside some of the containers.
The cargo manifest reflects that there are dangerous materials aboard the vessel. The Indian Coast Guard is saying this includes chemicals such as benzene and sodium cyanate.
In addition to the two Coast Guard vessels that remain alongside, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed specialized pollution control assets. They are continuing to closely monitor the situation.
The fire was initially reported on Friday, July 19, while the vessel was traveling from India to Sri Lanka. It was about 100 nautical miles north of Goa. Maersk reported over the weekend that one of the 21 crewmembers aboard the vessel had died. They said the efforts were focused on the safety of the crew and the vessel, with the Indian Coast Guard saying that an evacuation was not required.
