Maersk Honam
The 2018 fire on the Maersk Honam (built 2018) is shipping’s largest-ever containership general average claim, with the final insurance bill expected to run to in excess of $500m.
The virtually new 15,000-teu vessel caught fire in the Arabian Sea in March.
Three crew died in the incident. Containers were destroyed and the ship's accommodation unit had to be rebuilt.
It later emerged that the cost of disposing of hundreds of tonnes of hazardous waste from burned out containers aboard contributed to a large part of the financial loss.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
MSC Flaminia
The dramatic fire on the 6,732-teu MSC Flaminia (built 2001) in July 2012 cost marine insurers about $280m.
Three crew died in the casualty.
The incident was notable because the vessel was forced to sail around European waters seeking a port of refuge for two months while ablaze before it was finally allowed to enter the port of Wilhelmshaven in Germany.
A cargo of divinylbenzene has been identified as the cause of the fire.
Hanjin Pennsylvania
In 2002, a massive explosion and fire on the 4,400-teu Hanjin Pennsylvania (built 2002) rang up losses of close to $100m for marine insurers.
A combination of phosphorus and fireworks cargoes made it one of the most spectacular fires to hit the industry.
However, the initial cause is thought to have been a container of the chemical calcium hypochlorite, which self-ignited.
The damage was so extensive that there were concerns the ship would be a constructive total loss. However, the hull was eventually salvaged and rebuilt in China.
Yantian Express
The final bill from this fire on board the 7,150-teu Yantian Express (built 2002) in January last year has not yet been added up but many expect it will be similar to these previous cases.
The fire claimed nearly all the containers in the forward holds of the vessel. A misdeclared cargo of coconut charcoal has been blamed for the incident.
