Further to the press release from Maersk Line about an unfortunate situation in the Arabian Sea where Maersk Honam had a serious fire on board, pls see below updates..

UPDATE : 12th March 2018 – In a press release, Maersk Line has updated everyone on the situation on the Maersk Honam as below :

Remains of three out of four of the missing crew members found onboard Maersk Honam

It is with deep sadness that we announce that the human remains of three of the four missing crew members after the fire aboard Maersk Honam have been found on board the vessel. At this point in time our three colleagues are unidentified.

Given the time passed and the severe fire damages of the vessel we must conclude by now that we have lost all four colleagues who have been missing since the fire onboard Maersk Honam which began on 6 March. All four families of our deceased colleagues have been informed.

“Our most heartfelt condolences go out to families of our deceased colleagues. We share their sorrow and do our outmost to support them in this devastating time,” says Chief Operating Officer, Søren Toft.

A thorough search on board the Maersk Honam continues. However, the active search and rescue mission at sea will be brought to a halt. The search and rescue operation began immediately after Maersk Honam had sent out a distress signal on 6 March due to a serious fire aboard. Several container vessels diverted their route to assist in the search and rescue operation.

The evacuated crew

On land, the medical conditions of the evacuated crew members are progressing positively. All 22 have received medical treatment and the majority have been released from hospitals. Colleagues who initially received intensive care have been moved to a general ward and are recovering well. A crisis psychologist has been made available to all crew.

“Our colleagues that were evacuated to local hospitals in varying conditions of health are improving and we are now preparing to bring them back to their families as their condition allows,” says Palle Laursen, Chief Technical Officer for Maersk Line

The India Marine Police is conducting a routine investigation of the incident, and they will be interviewing all crew members.

The fire-fighting progresses

The fire-fighting efforts on board Maersk Honam are progressing. Specialized firefighting vessels remain engaged, with salvage operations led by Smit Salvage and Ardent – two best-in-class companies within maritime salvage operations. Maersk Line is cooperating with the salvors and has two Marine Engineers onsite, working closely with Smit and Ardent.

A full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the fire and the impact to the vessel and cargo.

UPDATE : 11th March 2018 – As of 10th March, the fire seems to have been brought under control.. As per Fleetmon, all containers in the fore (front of the ship) section, from f’castle to superstructure are said to have been a total loss and this section is said to have containers with hazardous cargoes – flammable liquids and solid cargoes, oxidising substances, toxic and infectious cargoes, and corrosive materials..

Here are some latest photos shared from Fleetmon..

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UPDATE : 8th March 2018 – The latest update was that one Thai national succumbed to his injuries and it is said that 4 crew members – 2 Filipinos, 1 South African and 1 Indian are missing..

Photographed from an @IndianNavy P-8I yesterday, the ablaze Maersk Honam container vessel in the Arabian Sea. pic.twitter.com/dKtQd97iO7

— Livefist (@livefist) March 8, 2018

Original article

Serious fire on Maersk Line container vessel in the Arabian Sea

Tuesday afternoon, the Maersk Honam reported a serious fire in one of its cargo holds. 23 crew members have been successfully evacuated and search and rescue operations are ongoing for four crew members currently reported missing.

Copenhagen, 7 March 2018 – On Tuesday 6 March 2018 at 15:20 GMT, the Maersk liner vessel Maersk Honam reported a serious fire in a cargo hold. Enroute from Singapore towards Suez, the vessel is currently positioned around 900 nautical miles southeast of Salalah, Oman. After being unsuccessful in their firefighting efforts, the crew sent out a distress signal and a total of 23 crew members were safely evacuated to the nearby vessel ALS Ceres, which arrived at the scene around 18:30 GMT.

Regrettably, four crew members remain missing. The fire onboard the Maersk Honam continues and the situation of the vessel is very critical.

“We’ve received the news of Maersk Honam and the four missing crew members with the deepest regret and are now doing our outmost to continue the ongoing search and rescue operations. This by rerouting our own vessels, with assistance of vessels in the area – most notably ALS Ceres that thankfully acted promptly upon our distress call – and the local authorities,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Executive Board, A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Search and rescue mission ongoing

The container vessels MSC Lauren, Edith Mærsk and Gerd Mærsk, all enroute in the Arabian Sea, have diverted their routes and are approaching the area with expected arrivals in the early morning Wednesday 7 March local time. Weather conditions in the area are currently fair.

Maersk Line is in the process of informing the relatives of all crew members and acknowledge this is a very difficult time for them.

“The evacuated crew is obviously distressed, with two crew members currently receiving medical first aid onboard the ALS Ceres. We will offer crisis counselling for the seafarers signing-off and returning to their families and our thoughts and deepest empathy go out to the families of the crew members that are still unaccounted for. We will offer them all the support we can in this very difficult situation,” says Søren Toft.

The nationalities of the 27 crew members are: India (13), the Phillipines (9), Romania (1), South Africa (1), Thailand (2) and the United Kingdom (1).

The vessel is carrying 7860 containers. All impacted customers will be contacted directly.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Maersk Line will investigate the matter thoroughly in cooperation with all relevant authorities. Maersk Honam was built in 2017. It has a nominal capacity of 15262 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), and sails under Singapore flag.

Source Link | Shipping and Freight Resource