A container ship has been anchored in South African waters for the past two weeks following a fire incident in one of its container holds off the coast of Mozambique.
Incident Overview
Smoke was detected in one of the ship’s container holds on 29 December 2024 while transiting Mozambique after departing from Mundra, India. The fire was promptly extinguished using carbon dioxide. As a precaution, some containers were offloaded at the Coega port in South Africa.
The ship, which operates on the Far East-India-Latin America (FIL) service, has been running on biofuels since late 2023. Vessel-tracking data indicates that the ship has been anchored near Ngqura, South Africa, since 5 January 2025.
Investigation and Updates
The incident was reported to the relevant authorities on 2 January, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. The Central Maritime Tribunal is leading the probe.
The shipping company’s spokesperson said: “The fire was promptly extinguished using carbon dioxide. As part of our procedure, some boxes were offloaded at the Coega port (in South Africa). Once the carbon dioxide recharge is completed, the vessel will resume its voyage according to the original schedule. The fire did not affect the vessel’s operations, and we have already notified the shippers regarding this incident.”
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Source: Container News
