Quick action by Sri Lankan authorities has prevented a major incident following a fire on an MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company boxship at the port of Colombo.
The 2,826-teu MSC CapeTown III (built 2006) suffered a blaze leading to an explosion on Sunday at the Jaya Container Terminal, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said.
The SLPA executed a rapid response to avert “a major catastrophe” by successfully containing the fire, it added.
The authority said “swift and coordinated action successfully averted a potential disaster”.
The vessel is part of MSC’s South Asia–East Africa Service. It was discharging 995 teu and loading 880 teu.
The 18-year-old vessel arrived from Singapore in the early hours of Sunday.
The boxship was also carrying 596 containers bound for other ports.
The incident occurred in a hatch area, where a fire started near 100 under-deck containers and 60 deck containers.
This fire eventually escalated to an explosion, the SLPA explained.
All crew members were safely evacuated.
Fire site found
SLPA director of operations HJKU Kumara said: “The vessel berthed at our terminal showed no prior signs of fire. However, during operations, our team identified the precise location where smoke was originating, leading to an explosion.”
“Our firefighters, in collaboration with other port services, acted swiftly to extinguish the fire and safely remove the affected cargo,” he added.
Kumara also said “timely and decisive actions prevented what could have been a catastrophic event”.
Investigations into the cause of the fire and the status of the cargo were ongoing.
“The SLPA remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all vessels and cargo within its jurisdiction, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely as investigations proceed,” he added.
MSC has been contacted for comment.
Fire-related deficiency
The vessel has no port state control detentions on its record.
The most recent inspection, in Tanzania in May, identified three deficiencies.
One of these was a problem with the fire control plan in terms of certificates and documents.
The vessel is entered with the Steamship Mutual protection and indemnity club in the UK.
On Friday, TradeWinds reported an explosion on a Yang Ming post-panamax container ship at the Chinese port of Ningbo.
Dramatic footage caught the moment the 6,589-teu YM Mobility (built 2021) blew up in the port Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang Province.
