Another box ship crew scramble for their lives as containers catch fire - The Loadstar
▻https://theloadstar.com/another-box-ship-crew-scramble-for-their-lives-as-containers-catch-fire
APL Le Havre assisted by indian coastguard
Fire has swept through several containers aboard the APL Le Havre just days after carriers announced they would impose heavy fines on misdeclared dangerous goods.
The Ministry of Defence in Gujarat State said fire had forced a diversion of the 10,100 teu vessel on Friday night, after it left Karachi en route to Mumbai.
Reports claim six boxes were involved, with the Indian coastguard resorting to flooding the boxes after early efforts to tackle the blaze were hampered by heavy weather.
The fire was brought under control after four hours and the next task is to determine the damage caused to the 10,000 teu vessel.
No injuries have been reported among the 26 crew members aboard the Singapore-flagged vessel, although APL has yet to release a statement on the incident.
This is the latest in a stream of box ship fires, with the TT Club pointing to “a worrying trend” amid claims that one hits every 60 days.
Last week, The Loadstar reported that Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL would be imposing fines ranging from $4,000 to $35,000 for misdeclared shipments.