ContainersEuropeOperations

Fire hits MSC containership off Germany

An MSC containership was hit by a fire while in the North Sea yesterday afternoon travelling to Hamburg from Antwerp.

German press reports that 12,400 teu MSC Katrina was south of the island of Heligoland off the German coast when the fire was discovered with smoke observed coming from a container, believed to contain charcoal inside.

A federal helicopter, a rescue vessel from the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), and pollution control vessel Neuwerk were sent to the scene. Two firefighting units were able to put the fire out, flooding the container with water.

Four members from one of the firefighting units and a doctor stayed onboard the vessel, which continued its journey to Hamburg. No injuries were reported, and the vessel will now be assessed for damage and to determine the cause of the fire.

Grant Rowles

Grant spent nine years at Informa Group based in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore. He gained strong management experience in publishing, conferences and awards schemes in the shipping and legal areas, working on a number of titles including Lloyd's List. In 2009 Grant joined Seatrade responsible for the commercial development of Seatrade’s Asia products. In 2012, with Sam Chambers, he co-founded Asia Shipping Media.
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