ALL 23 crew members have been
evacuated from Hapag-Lloyd's 7,510 TEU Yantian Express, which has been on fire
since last Thursday off the coast of Halifax, Canada.
The 320-metre container ship was
travelling from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Halifax when a fire started inside a
container on the ship's forward deck.
While heavy winds at sea over the
past couple of days prevented extinguishing efforts, Chief Petty Officer 3rd
Class Joshua Canup said weather conditions were favourable enough Sunday
afternoon to battle the blaze - though he said the skies may take a turn later
on in the evening.
The crew was moved to the Smit
Nicobar, an offshore support tug from Belgium that arrived on the scene, which
is equipped with fire monitors to provide ongoing firefighting support.
Mr Canup said another tug, the Maersk
Mobiliser from Newfoundland, was aslo expected to arrive late Sunday
evening, though he was unable to say how long it will take for it to tow the
vessel to Halifax.
"The coast guard is continuing
to monitor and co-ordinate efforts to help with the situation," Mr Canup
said, adding that there is no further information on the status of the fire.
A spokesman for Hapag-Lloyd, Tim
Seifert, said it was still too early to assess damage to the ship or cargo.
"Despite the ongoing
firefighting support from the salvage tug Smit Nicobar, the fire has not been
extinguished yet," said Mr Seifert. "Further developments of the
situation on the Yantian Express are being monitored closely, and the
firefighting efforts with the salvage tug are ongoing."
He said Hapag-Lloyd is working in
"close cooperation with all relevant authorities."
Source : HKSG / Photo : Maritime Executive.
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