ESPIRITO SANTO EXP
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Die letzten Häfen
Die letzten Wegpunkte
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Fire destroyed vast majority of cargo of Espirito Santo Express, HMM Platinum anchored off Durban
Two weeks after the fire started aboard the 'Espirito Santos Express', carriers have advised customers that they expected the vast majority of the cargo to be either severely damaged by the fire or a total loss. Salvage teams were meanwhole making progress with the fire as well as with another containership, the 'HMM Platinum', which reported a fire around the same time. The container ship was operating under charter to Hapag-Lloyd on a shared route with Ocean Network Express. The full details on the fire were not released by claims consultant WK Webster. The 28 crew members had evacuated the ship on Oct 15, approximately 975 nautical miles northwest of Tristan da Cunha. The crew was rescued by the passing bulk carrier 'Aeolian Arrow', whose the chief officer was thrown overboard from the rescue boat, and the rescue boat was subsequently swamped and lost. Efforts to recover the officer were unsuccessful. Both Hapag and ONE reported that the owners, Seaspan, have advised them the fire remained under control. A team from SMIT had reached the drifting vessel. On Oct 28, Webster had advised it understood the vessel was still ablaze. The Brasilian offshore support vessels 'Maersk Topper' and 'StarNav Delphinus' were deployed to battle the blaze. The Danish tug 'Navvik Leader' took the 'Espirito Santo Express' under tow toward a port of refuge in Brasil. The 'HMM Platinum' has meanwhile anchored off Durban after a fire on board, which had started around the end of September, while the ship was navigating off the southern coast of Lavanono, Madagascar. The vessel was also bound for Brasil, when the fire began. Reports indicated that there were approximately 2,300 TEU aboard. HMM had reported the fire had been controlled, working with a salvage team from SMIT. However, the vessel was delayed by weather and had moved away from South Africa while tugs remained with it as a precaution. The crew was reported to be safe, and the ship appeared to be waiting for space in Durban so that it could complete its survey to determine the full extent of the damage.
Smoke and flames observed in deck cargo
Salvage teams have reached the 'Espirito Santo Express' more than 1,000 miles from Brazil. The vessel owner Seaspan reported that smoke and flames were observed coming from cargo in a bay forward of the accommodation block. Firefighting and stabilisation operations are currently underway. The ship remained ablaze and adrift in the South Atlantic, more than ten days after the fire broke out, while importers from Brazil and other South American countries were awaiting information on the condition of the transported goods. At this time, there was no estimate for when the flames would be completely extinguished, nor was there a decision on the ship's fate. The vessel's charterer, Hapag-Lloyd, informed customers that the extent of damage to the ship and its cargo remained under assessment.
Firefighting operations ongoing with extent of damage unknown
Firefighting operations were ongoing aboard the 'Espirito Santo Express', following a major fire that broke out in the South Atlantic on Oct 15, with the extent of damage to the vessel and cargo still undetermined. On Oct 22, Hapag-Lloyd confirmed that efforts were focused on controlling the fire and stabilising the Seaspan-owned vessel, which was sailing from Singapore to Santos. While all 28 crew members were safely evacuated and accounted for, the vessel’s condition and the status of individual shipments remained under assessment. Smoke was initially observed coming from cargo in the cargo bay area forward of the accommodation block, before a fire developed. The vessel’s charterers and relevant maritime, flag state, coastal and SAR authorities were immediately notified. Professional salvors from SMIT have been engaged under Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) salvage terms to assist the vessel, which was adrift following the incident. No confirmed timeline has been provided for completing firefighting operations, assessing cargo damage or resuming the voyage. Hapag-Lloyd wascurrently unable to determine the condition of individual containers or when detailed cargo assessments could become available. Affected customers would be informed as verified updates emerged, with no immediate action required unless they were contacted directly. The Ocean Network Express (ONE), which operated the vessel on its SX1 service, confirmed in an Oct 21 advisory that information on affected containers, cargo damage and contingency arrangements remained unavailable. No revised ETA has been provided. Portugal’s Maritime Accident Investigation Office (GAMA) has meanwhile launched an investigation into the circumstances of the fatality during the rescue operation, when the chief officer of the Portuguese-flagged bulk carrier 'Aeolian Arrow', which had responded to the emergency, fell overboard during the recovery of its rescue boat.
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