The 1994-built very large ore carrier ‘Stellar Samba’, owned by the South Korean company Polaris Shipping, was stuck for days off the Brazilian coast, after it sustained fire at its generator on 26 May.
Initial estimations suggest that the fire erupted in one of the ship’s generators reportedly due to an oil leakage, while the ship was underway, approximately 50 miles off Brazil. There were no reports of injuries, as the crew put the fire under control.
The crew members are now trying to restore power, so it can head to the port on its own. Authorities have also deployed a tug to the scene to tow the stricken ship to a nearby port, in case the power cannot be restored, according to Yonhap news agency. A Brazilian navy ship has also been dispatched to the scene to monitor the situation.
At the time of the incident, the Marshall-flagged vessel was en route from Caofeidian, China to Ponta de Madeira, Brazil.
The tugboat is expected to arrive on May 30. AIS traffic show the ship is heading to Ponta de Madeira but ‘not under command’.
Polaris Shipping was at the centre of global attention last year, after its VLOC ‘Stellar Daisy’ sank in the South Atlantic, off Uruguay, killing 22 of the 24 crewmen onboard, in late March 2017. Some days later, the sister vessel ‘Stellar Unicorn’ sustained a crack on its outer hull.
