Maersk Honam crew member dies, four still missing

The 15,262-TEU containerships caught fire in the Arabian Sea Tuesday, leaving one crew member dead, two receiving urgent medical treatment, and four still missing.    One Maersk Honam crew member has passed away due to injuries sustained in connection with the fire that broke out on board the vessel, while four crew members still remain missing, Maersk reported today.
   The fire broke out in one of Maersk Honam’s cargo holds Tuesday at 15:20 GMT, while the vessel was sailing in the Arabian Sea, en route from Singapore toward Suez. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
   Two crew members in urgent need of medical care due to worsening conditions have been evacuated by an Indian navy vessel and handed over to the Indian coast guard of Trivandrum. They are now receiving medical treatment, Maersk said.
   Meanwhile the remaining crew members of the Maersk Honam are currently on board the ALS Ceres and are en route to Cochin, India.
   The ALS Ceres arrived at the scene of the Maersk Honam Tuesday around 18:30 GMT.
   Five vessels are currently involved in the search and rescue operation.
   A Maersk spokesperson told American Shipper this morning, “The Maersk Honam was carrying the usual cargo that one would expect on an Asia to Europe string. Some of the cargo on board includes toys, clothes, furniture, consumer goods and other cargo.
   “The Maersk Honam was only scheduled to arrive in Europe in 1-2 weeks, so Maersk Line has some time to implement a contingency plan to mitigate further disruption,” the spokesperson added. “For customers who intended to load cargo on Maersk Honam in Europe to be exported to Asia, Maersk Line will be considering an alternative vessel to take over Maersk Honam’s rotation or make other allowances on other Maersk Line vessels sailing to Asia.”
   The 15,262-TEU Maersk Honam was built in 2017. It was operating on the 2M Alliance’s AE11/Jade.
   The loop has a rotation of Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Nansha, Yantian, Singapore, Malta, Barcelona, Valencia, La Spezia, Gioia Tauro, Port Said, King Abdullah City, Dubai, Singapore, Shekou, Xiamen and Qingdao. BlueWater Reporting shows the AE11/Jade deploys 11 vessels, ranging in size from 13,050 TEUs to 15,908 TEUs.