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MSC Daniela unlikely to return to service for months

It is likely to be months before the fire-struck MSC Daniela returns to service, locals on the ground in Sri Lanka tell Splash.

The 13,800 teu boxship suffered a fire on April 4 in its aft section. The ship was en route to the Suez Canal from Singapore when a fire broke out in one container before spreading quickly to others, forcing the master to reroute to Colombo where a combined force of Sri Lankan and Indian vessels then spent more than 12 hours extinguishing the blaze. Some of the boxes on the deck continued to smoulder for more than two weeks after the initial fire leading Sri Lankan authorities to worry about some chemicals in the air making their way onland and harming the local population.

MSC suspects shippers misdeclaring hazardous cargoes was the most likely reason for the blaze.

The ship is now at an idle berth at Colombo port and still has some salvageable cargo onboard which will prove tricky to offload. It will then head to a repair yard where new hatch covers will be needed.

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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