Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth biggest container shipping company in the world, has confirmed that the crew of the Yantian Express was successfully evacuated after a fire broke out on January 3.
According to a statement released on January 4, the fire broke out in one container on the vessel’s deck and soon spread to other containers.
Efforts to extinguish the fire were launched immediately but had to be suspended due to adverse weather conditions.
A recent Port Technology technical paper looked at challenges in the supply chain
The 7,510 TEU vessel was on its Colombo to Halifax via the Suez Canal. According to Hapag-Lloyd, it is approximately 650 nautical miles off the coast of Canada.
The carrier said in its original statement that all 15 seafarers and eight officers are unharmed but it is too early to make a precise estimate of any damage to the vessel or its cargo and that it is closely cooperating with all relevant authorities.
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