Cargo Fire Extinguished Aboard 'Maersk Kampala'

The fire-fighting teams aboard the 'Maersk Kampala' have succeeded in putting out the fire aboard the container ship say the owners.

Some smoke continues to come from containers that had been on fire, but it is considered that this will stop eventually with continued spraying by the tugs and flooding by the fire-fighting teams.

Maersk line say that operational planning is now the priority, including port selection, contingency planning for cargo as well as the vessel’s eventual return to service.

Background
The fire originated with the vessel located south of the Suez Canal in one container at the bottom of a stack before spreading to a second container. On the evening of 30th August  weather conditions prevented fire fighting tugs from getting close enough to have maximum effect. As a result the fire spread to several more containers but was confined to the two foremost bays.