The commercial tugboat Maersk Mobiliser will tow Hapag Lloyd’s fire-stricken container ship to Halifax, New Scotland, the US Coast Guard informed in an official update.
At the time of the incident, the ship was en route from Colombo to Halifax via the Suez Canal. The fire broke out on 3 January in one of the containers onboard the 7,510 TEU container ship ‘Yantian Express’ approximately 1,015 miles northeast of Bermuda and spread to additional containers. Immediate efforts were launched to put out the fire, but they had to be stopped because of a deterioration of weather conditions.
On the aftermath, 11 non-essential crew members were evacuated to the tugboat Smit Nicobar and Sunday morning all remaining crew were evacuated to the Smit Nicobar, because the fire was not successfully contained. All of the crewmen are safe.
USCG has been monitoring the situation and coordinating response efforts to ensure the safety of the crew. The Smit Nicobar remains on scene providing fire fighting assistance.
We’ve been monitoring the situation to provide as much assistance as possible and keeping in open communication. It is through open and regular communication that the safety of the crew has been seen to and the response remains organized,
…said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Langley, operations unit watchstander at the Fifth District command center.
USCG watchstanders with the First District command center in Boston received a report last Thursday that there was a fire aboard the container ship Yantian Express. They requested assistance through the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) for vessels that may be in the area and notified their counterparts in the Fifth District command center in Portsmouth who assumed responsibility for the case.
The AMVER vessel Happy Ranger’s crew were 20 miles from the position and diverted their course to provide assistance. On Friday, the Smit Nicobar crew arrived on scene and began to provide assistance, relieving the Happy Ranger’s crew.
The 7,510 TEU vessel is 320 meters long and carries the German flag.
