The fire damaged Yantian Express will to head a shipyard in Asia to undergo permanent repairs once discharge operations have been completed, it has been confirmed.
The 7,150-teu containership (built 2002) finally arrived in the Canadian port on Monday last week and berthed the next day.
The intention now is to totally discharge all containers, around 3,200 in Halifax, Ocean Network Express (ONE) said in a note to clients.
Once ashore, containers for which general average and salvage security has been provided will be stacked apart from those that remain unsecured.
It is estimated that the discharge of the 3,200 containers will take around 85 hours of work. However, the actual discharge operation is expected to take 12 days or more.
The situation has been complicated by the fact that the vessel must, at times, shift along the berth in order to allow access to other regularly scheduled vessels, and will thereafter shift back in order to resume cargo operations.
As part of these operations, the vessel will also have to back load empty containers to achieve the necessary stability criteria for a subsequent safe passage to Asia.
In respect of the forwarding of secured containers to final destination, ONE said cargo interests must appreciate that the terminal cannot dig out or “cherry pick” specific containers once stacked ashore.
Thus, it advised, secured containers will be moved to the rail, or transhipment vessel, for delivery in the most “efficient and expedient manner” in order to speed up the overall handling.
For those companies seeking cargo surveys, ONE said it was “untenable” to move containers to ground positions in Halifax for inspection, not to mention the lack of space on the terminal, delays to be encountered. As such, it said all cargo surveys, if required, “must be performed at final destination”.
The Yantian Express suffered a blaze on 3 January off Canada, but was eventually able to berth in Freeport on 4 February.
A total of 202 containers were declared a total loss, according to general average and salvage adjusters Richards Hogg Lindley.
It also identified an additional 460 containers that were stored in the affected area that required inspection.
