Indian Coast Guard (ICG) firefighters are continuing to battle the container fire aboard the Maersk Frankfurt, 10 days after an explosion sparked the blaze.
The coast guard is leading the team, which includes specialists who have now arrived to support the efforts on the Maersk-chartered newbuild off the West Coast of India. The vessel was en route from India to Sri Lanka, about 100 nautical miles north of Goa, when the fire broke out on July 19. One crew member died in the early stages of the fire but the rest of the crew remains safe aboard the vessel.
The vessel’s current position is approximately 50 nautical miles south of New Mangalore, which is serving as the base for the firefighting operation.
According to the ICG, it has employed five vessels, two helicopters, and its Dornier aircraft in the firefighting operation.
Helicopters air-dropped more than 1200 kilograms of dry chemical powder into the area of the fire. Two ICG vessels have also sprayed millions of litres of water on the fire.
However, while the ICG reports that the primary fire has been doused, pockets of fire and hot spots persist on the vessel. Smoke is still billowing from the ship and stacks of containers appear to have collapsed.
Reports in the Indian media indicate that infra-red imagery reveals a reduction in hot spots, but there is no explanation of what is continuing to fuel the fire. However, according to the cargo manifest there are dangerous materials aboard the vessel, which the ICG confirmed included chemicals such as benzene and sodium cyanate.
The vessel’s owners have hired a specialised salvage agency to manage firefighting and disposal efforts, and the ICG has also assisted with embarking five salvors onto the vessel.
Tugs are shuttling equipment to the vessel, while a larger offshore vessel, AHTS Valiant, is expected to arrive having departed from Sharjah, India on July 30.
According to the ICG, despite the challenging conditions, the situation is under control.
