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Burnt boxship docks in Riga

A fire-struck, evacuated boxship has been boarded, brought under control and towed into the port of Riga where it is now moored alongside a terminal.

The Dutch-registered 1,349 teu Escape suffered a blaze earlier in the week while transiting the Baltic Sea. Images of the ship show the funnel has been badly burnt.

All 15 crewmembers were safely rescued by another ship, the Kairit, after boarding a lifeboat in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The JR Shipping-controlled ship was heading from Lithuania to Latvia when the fire broke out in the engine room.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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