According to reports, container vessel Rhine Maersk had to make a detour to the port of Tenerife after crew members reported smoke rising from a container onboard.
It is reported that on 9 November firefighters were called to action to address a fire that broke out in containers aboard the Rhine Maersk, which was bound for Algeciras, Spain from Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Approximately five containers loaded with coal and cotton were affected by the flames which was triggered by a rise in temperature in the storage area.
According to local reports, the crew on the ship managed to extinguish the fire promptly, while firefighters from Tenerife were tasked with ongoing cooling operations on the impacted containers.
Upon arrival at the port, the local Port Police were the first responders followed by two heavy urban pumps and a light vehicle from the Tenerife Fire Consortium as reported.
The Rhine Maersk reportedly docked at the East Dock and was scheduled to move to the container terminal on 11 November to unload the damaged containers before continuing its journey to Algeciras.
According to local news, in the latest update on the ship container fire incident off the coast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, it has been revealed that the fire was caused by a malfunction in one of the refrigerated containers.
