Up to two months to discharge Yantian Express cargo

The ship, which was damaged by a container fire in early January, currently is at a yard in the Bahamas.    The discharge of distressed containers on the Yantian Express is expected to take up to two months once operations begin, said Ocean Network Express, an alliance partner of ship owner Hapag-Lloyd, Tuesday in a customer advisory.
   The 7,510-TEU containership is currently at a yard in Freeport, Bahamas, designated exclusively to receive the distressed containers and cargo, ONE said, after a container fire broke out on the vessel in early January. The fire, which broke out in one container on the deck before spreading to additional containers, resulted in either fire or water damage to the ship and a portion of the cargo.
   “The port authority is monitoring the preparation of the site and is yet to give their final approval to start discharge operations, which is expected to be received in the next few days,” ONE said in the customer advisory. 
   “We are in close contact with the local authorities to be able to start discharging of the distressed containers soonest.”
   Salvors SMIT Salvage Americas LLC was appointed under a Lloyd’s open form contract, and the salvors are entitled to retain the cargo until salvage security is provided. General average also was declared on the vessel in January.
   Arrangements for unloading undamaged containers had yet to have been made.