Maersk Line is in discussions with the major Indian and Middle Eastern ports as it attempts to find a place of refuge for the still burning Maersk Honam.
Salalah in Oman seems the most likely destination as it one of Maersk Line’s major ports although others are under consideration TradeWinds understands.
One of the tugs attending the 15,262-teu containership Maersk Honam (built 2017), the Amazon Chieftain Z, is currently displaying Salalah as its destination on Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) with an estimated arrival date of 23 March.
However a Maersk Line spokesperson told TradeWinds that should not be taken as an indication that a port of refuge has been decided.
“We are still in discussions with ports, and the decision will depend on the salvage operation and the conditions,” he said.
Another Maersk containership involved in a less severe fire, the 6,188-teu Maersk Kensington (built 2007), is currently at anchor outside Salalah. And the Oman port allowed the 5,500-teu Hyundai Fortune (built 1996) to enter to unload damaged cargo when it was hit by a major fire in 2006.
As an alternative the Maersk Honam could be towed east to the Indian port of Mumbai, one salvage source suggested. The UAE port of Jebel Ali is another possibility.
Maersk said that although salvors Ardent and Smit have contained the fire, it is still burning and fire fighting operations continue.
Much will depend on whether Maersk can convince port authorities that the vessel no longer presents a safety or environmental threat.
The MSC Flaminia sailed around for two months in the summer of 2012 before it was granted safe refuge in European waters.
While improved port of refuge guidelines have been put in place in Europe since the MSC Flaminia the stance of the Indian Ocean ports is unclear.
Insurance experts as still trying to assess the potential payout from possible huge hull, cargo and salvage claims.
The unique design of the ship on the Maersk Honam with the bridge and accommodation unit placed forward appears to have provided a barrier and restricted the fire to the forward holds numbers one, two and three and prevented it from spreading to the six aft holds.
That would suggest in the best case scenario only around one third of the 12,416-teu containers onboard will have been damaged by the blaze although there is the risk of smoke damage to deck cargo in the aft section.
Estimates of a cargo value of around $50,000 per teu would suggest cargo claims in the region of $200m if the damage is restricted to the forward cargo holds.
Richards Hogg Lindley has been appointed as average adjusters and general average has been declared.
The hull is insured for around $160m although Maersk will take assurance from similar box ship fires that it can avoid the Maersk Honam becoming a constructive total loss.
The MSC Flaminia was rebuilt at the Mangalia yard in Romania after a similar fire, as was the Hyundai Fortune.
The salvage has been agreed on a Lloyds Open Form (LOF) basis to be settled after completion of the operation. It is understood Maersk appointed Ardent and Smit as part of a prearranged agreement with Ardent to provide global salvage cover to the Maersk fleet.
