The Indian Coast Guard said it was continuing to battle a fire on an AP Moller-Maersk container ship for a second day after the blaze was suppressed in one part of the ship but reignited elsewhere.
The agency posted photos and videos of the 5,920-teu Maersk Frankfurt (built 2024), which was delivered from a Japanese shipyard only last month, as smoke continued to billow from the vessel’s container sacks. Unlike videos posted on Friday, flames were no longer visible.
The agency said on X that helicopters have now been added to the firefighting effort.
An advanced light helicopter air-dropped 150 kg of dry chemical powder to help control the blaze.
Earlier on Saturday, the Indian Coast Guard described an apparent setback in containing the blaze.
“The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship,” the agency said.
Three coastguard vessels — the Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat — have been participating in firefighting operations since Friday.
The pollution control vessel Samudra Prahari was sent to the scene on Saturday.
Two aircraft assessed the vessel, and the Indian Coast Guard said that a crew evacuation was not yet necessary.
“ICG remains committed to ensuring safety and mitigating environmental impact,” the agency said.
The Maersk Frankfurt, which Denmark’s Maersk operates on charter, is owned by Tokei Kaiun of Japan and managed by a Hong Kong unit of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, according to Equasis data. The Panamanian-flagged ship is classed by Japan’s ClassNK and has insurance from UK P&I Club.
As TradeWinds reported on Friday, the Indian Coast Guard said on X that it received a distress call from the Maersk Frankfurt “regarding a major fire on board” while the ship was 50 nautical miles (93 km) off Karwar. The ship was on a voyage from Mundra to the Sri Lankan port of Colombo.
