The crew of the Marie Maersk, a 19,076 TEU container ship, detected smoke while sailing off the coast of Liberia.
The Danish-flagged, 2013-built vessel, operating under the Gemini Cooperation Asia–Europe AE4 service, was en route from Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, when the incident occurred.The smoke was detected from containers on deck, prompting the activation of firefighting systems.
According to Maersk, the crew is safe and the vessel remains in stable condition, with all machinery, steering, and navigational systems fully operational. The crew is following safety and firefighting procedures and is working to contain the incident while external firefighting assistance is being arranged. Two tugboats with firefighting equipment have reached the ship on the evening of 13 August (local time).
The ship, sailing off the Liberian coast, has been diverted towards the West African shore to secure landside support as quickly as possible.
“We remain in constant contact with the vessel’s crew and are providing all possible support. We cannot yet confirm the extent of the fire’s impact on the cargo,” a Maersk spokesperson told WorldCargo News.
