The UK-flagged bulker Anglo Marie Louise (114 727 dwt) was forced to return to anchorage off Virginia in the United States after reports that there had been an explosion in its cargo hold.
This is according to insurance claim agent and third party administrator WK Webster, which highlighted the incident aboard the vessel in an industry update this week.
“We have received reports that an explosion occurred in a cargo hold of bulk carrier Anglo Marie Louise (IMO: 9490492), in a position approximately 150 nautical miles east of North Carolina, United States, on 27 November 2024,” WK Webster noted in the update.
“It is reported that the vessel has sustained damage to the No 1 and No 2 cargo hatches as a result of the explosion. The vessel remains seaworthy and is currently returning to Chesapeake Bay, USA, under its own power.”
There have been no reports of any injury to crew during the incident, and the cause of the explosion has not yet been established.
The vessel, which was built at China New Times Shipyard in 2011, sailed from Baltimore, Maryland, on November 23. It has now moved to anchor off Virginia Beach near the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.
It was also involved in an incident in March 2024 when it blacked out while sailing on the Mississippi River near New Orleans. According to tugboat company Moran, the vessel had lost control on the river and was heading for the Nashville Avenue wharf. Two tugs managed to intercept it before it hit another docked vessel or the wharf.
The 255-metre-long vessel is managed by Anglo Shipping in London.
