Hapag-Lloyd has evacuated the crew of the 7,510-teu Yantian Express (built 2002) after a fire aboard the vessel “significantly increased in intensity”.
The German liner operator said that due to bad weather conditions, the fire has not been successfully contained
“Despite the ongoing firefighting support from the salvage tug Smit Nicobar, the fire has not been extinguished yet,” it said.
“For this reason, a decision was made to evacuate the crew. The complete crew is unharmed and was safely transferred to the Smit Nicobar on 5 and 6 January.”
The fire aboard the Yantian Express broke out on 3 January as the ship sailed off the coast of Canada as part of the East Coast Loop 5 (EC5) service.
The blaze initially started in one container on the deck of the German-flagged vessel and spread to additional containers.
Further developments of the situation on the Yantian Express are being monitored closely, and the firefighting efforts with the salvage tug are ongoing, Hapag-Lloyd said.
It added that it was currently not possible to make a precise estimate of any damage to Yantian Express or its cargo.
The ship was on its way from Colombo to Halifax via the Suez Canal when the first broker out. At present, the ship is about 800 nautical miles off the coast of Nova Scotia.
