Karwar, India – A newbuild containership chartered by Maersk has encountered a significant cargo fire in the Arabian Sea, approximately 50 nautical miles off the coast of Karwar, India.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai received a distress call on Friday from the containership M/V Maersk Frankfurt. The vessel, which was on route from Mundra to Colombo, reported a major fire onboard at around 1430 IST.
In response to the distress call, the ICG deployed its Dornier aircraft and three ships, Sachet, Sujeet, and Samrat, to the scene. The immediate focus has been on firefighting efforts to secure the safety of the vessel and its crew.
Maersk confirmed the details of the incident in a statement posted to X (formerly known as Twitter). “We can confirm that a fire was reported onboard one of our time chartered vessels, Maersk Frankfurt, around 1430 IST while the vessel was sailing from Mundra to Colombo. Firefighting is underway with support from the Indian Coast Guard. The vessel is in stable condition,” Maersk’s statement read.
The company added, “At the moment, we are unable to confirm the extent of the fire’s impact on the chartered vessel, Maersk Frankfurt. We are in constant touch with the vessel owner and ship managers. The safety of the crew remains the top priority at this moment.”
Although initial reports indicate that there is at least some hazardous cargo onboard, Maersk has not yet confirmed the specifics.
The Maersk Frankfurt, a 225-meter-long vessel delivered in 2024, is registered in Panama. According to Equasis data, the ship is owned by LEO OCEAN/TOKEI KAIUN of Japan, and its ISM manager is BERNHARD SCHULTE-HKG LP of Hong Kong.
