Maersk Frankfurt fire results in crew member's death

Posted on July 29, 2024   |  

An electrical fire on the Maersk Frankfurt's maiden voyage in the Arabian Sea, about 190 km off Goa, killed a Filipino crew member.

The 5,500 TEU ship is now stable, with four Indian coastguard vessels—Sachet, Sujeet, Samrat, and Varaha—battling the fire.

The vessel, managed by Bernhard Schulte and chartered by Maersk, was delivered in May from Japan’s Imabari Shipbuilding to its owner, Tokei Kaiun.

Aerial footage showed a vessel using a water jet to cool down smoldering containers, and coastguard personnel dropping bags of dry chemicals from a helicopter.

One Filipino crew member died, while the rest of the crew—two Ukrainians, one Russian, and 17 Filipinos—were unharmed.

The ship is currently stable, and firefighting efforts are ongoing.