Malaysian authorities have confirmed that three men have died following a fire aboard the container ship Kyparissia while it was docked at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Johor.
The vessel, owned by Costamare Shipping and operated on charter by Maersk Line, was undergoing unloading operations at the time of the incident on November 7.
According to reports, the explosion occurred in the under‑hatch area of Block 5 while cargo was being handled. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The deceased have been identified as a 59-year-old Malaysian man, a Filipino man in his 40s, and a British man in his 40s.
Three others sustained injuries during the blast and have been admitted to hospital, including a 26-year-old Malaysian and two Filipino men in their 40s.
The Kyparissia, built in 2014, has a capacity of approximately 4 957 TEU and was operating on Maersk’s Far East–West Africa service.
Authorities and the shipping company have confirmed that a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Local and international maritime authorities are monitoring the situation closely, while port operations have resumed following emergency response efforts.
German global insurer Allianz Commercial’s Safety & Shipping Review 2025 earlier this year reported that, since 2024 there have been approximately 250 fire-causing explosion incidents on commercial vessel.
For 2025 (up to mid or later in the year), Freight News has reported on several serious fire incidents, especially involving container, car‑carrier and ro‑ro vessels.
