On November 7, the containership MSC Shannon sustained an engine room fire in the Gulf of Finland, disabling the shipping, causing a large-scale emergency response.
Namely, the Finnish Coast Guard received a distress call from the MSC Shannon reporting a fire in the engine room.
The vessel had 24 crewmembers aboard and about 1,200 tonnes of containerized cargo, heading from Russia to Le Havre.
Finnish authorities initiated an emergency response, deploying two patrol ships, as well as two rescue helicopters. However, the MSC Shannon’s crew managed to bring the fire under control, without needing firefighting assistance.
A little later, a maritime patrol aircraft carried out an overflight and found no signs of pollution. No injuries were reported also.
MSC Shannon anchored off Sommaro, Finland, where it remained on November 7, while the shipowner is in talks to arrange an emergency tow.
Nevertheless, the MSC Shannon’s crew will first attempt to make repairs and resume the voyage under the vessel’s own power.
