Firefighters battle blaze on Maersk chartered ship off India

Indian Coast Guard ships have been tackling a major cargo fire onboard a newbuild containership on charter to Danish carrier Maersk in the Arabian Sea.

The 2024-built 5,500 teu Maersk Frankfurt reported explosions and fire on its front deck on Friday off Karwar, India, while sailing to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Maersk confirmed the incident in a statement posted to social media platform X, saying the vessel was in “stable condition”, but that it could not confirm the extent of the fire’s impact.

Multiple assets have been mobilised as efforts continue to ensure the ship’s safety and that of its crew. 

In its most recent update, the coast guard said three firefighting vessels had been on the job for 12 hours, preventing the blaze from spreading. An additional vessel has been dispatched and is expected to join the operation by Sunday. 

The coast guard’s Dornier aircraft was mobilised to conduct aerial assessments, with an additional aircraft also in position for search and rescue.

The Imabari built unit delivered in June is owned by Tokei Kaiun of Japan and managed by a Hong Kong unit of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, according to Equasis data.

Local media reports suggest that the vessel is carrying some International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo, but Maersk noted at the time that the crew’s safety was its top priority. No casualties were reported.