12 Hours On, Indian Coast Guard Ships Continue Fight Fire On Maersk Frankfurt Vessel In Arabian Sea (image@IndiaCoastGuard)
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is still responding to the fire incident onboard the merchant vessel Maersk Frankfurt. The current position of the vessel is 17 miles from Karwar, Karnataka. Though the fire in the forepart of the vessel has been suppressed initially, heavy smoke continues to emanate, and the fire has reignited in the midship area. The new development came twelve hours after the initial reports of the fire.
Sujeet and Samrat, the ICG ships Sachet, are actively engaged in the firefighting operations. A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has conducted an aerial assessment of the situation. An ALH Dhruv helicopter was launched from New Mangalore for Goa, conducting an assessment of the vessel enroute and evaluating the feasibility of deploying Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) bags.
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Taking to its social media platform, ICG said Pollution Control Vessel Samudra Prahari is being deployed to the scene today. “Indian Coast Guard continues its robust response to the fire onboard MV Maersk Frankfurt. The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship. ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat are ongoing with fire-fighting operations. Additionally, ICG Pollution Control Vessel Samudra Prahari is being deployed to the scene today. A Dornier aircraft and ALH Dhruv helicopter have assessed the vessel, and no crew evacuation is required yet”
@IndiaCoastGuard continues its robust response to the fire onboard MV #MaerskFrankfurt. The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship. #ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat are ongoing with fire-fighting operations. Additionally,… pic.twitter.com/ZXx2E1fYRP
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) July 20, 2024
The current situation does not demand the evacuation of the crew members. According to the Master of the vessel, the anchoring is not feasible due to the inaccessibility of the forecastle area, which has been compromised by melting containers, posing significant risks to the crew.
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The ICG control room in Mumbai had received a distress call from container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt 50 NM off Karwar regarding a major fire onboard. ICG Dornier and ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat responded immediately. An additional aircraft was also mobilized to augment Search and Rescue efforts. The Coast Guard said that firefighting was in progress to avert ecological disaster and ensure the safety of the vessel and crew.
