The Espirito Santos Express tanker, which caught fire on October 15, 2023, in the South Atlantic Ocean, has now informed its customers that "most of the cargo has been severely damaged or completely lost." This news comes as rescue teams are working to control the fire and assess the ship's condition.
Details of the Incident and the Ship's Status
The Espirito Santos Express tanker, built in 2018 and owned by Seaspan Corporation, is a container ship with a capacity of 11,800 TEU that operates jointly under the charter of Hapag-Lloyd and Ocean Network Express. Full details about the fire have not been released, but reports indicate that there was a fire and explosion on the ship.
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A total of 28 crew members evacuated the ship on October 15, approximately 975 nautical miles northwest of Tristan da Cunha. The crew was rescued by a passing cargo ship, but unfortunately, the chief officer of the cargo ship Aeolian Arrow fell from the lifeboat into the sea, and efforts to rescue him were unsuccessful.
Efforts to Control the Fire and Assess Damages
Hapag-Lloyd has informed its customers in a notice: "Given the severity of the incident and the extent of the reported fire damage, we wanted to share this development with you without delay." Both Hapag and ONE have reported that the ship's owner, Seaspan, has informed them that the fire is under control. However, as of October 28, reports indicate that the fire is still active on the ship.
Shipping companies have currently stated that "it will take a long time for the ship to be moved to a safe port and for damages to be accurately assessed." It is still unclear whether the fire originated from the containers or if its source was in the engine room or other parts of the ship.
In a positive development for another fire on the HMM Platinum container ship, AIS signals indicate that this ship is currently anchored near Durban. The fire on this ship started in late September while it was moving along the southern coast of Lavano, Madagascar. This ship, built in 2013, weighs 63,000 tons and was heading towards Brazil. Reports indicate that there are about 2,300 TEU of cargo on this ship.
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