A major fire broke out on a container cargo merchant vessel, Maersk Frankfurt, approximately 102 nautical miles southwest of Goa on Friday, July 19, 2024. The vessel was en route from Mundra to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it reported the emergency.
Upon receiving the distress signal, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) swiftly mobilized resources. An ICG ship was dispatched at maximum speed to the scene, and a Dornier aircraft was launched for aerial assessment.
The vessel is known to be carrying International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo, and explosions have been reported in the forward section. Despite rough sea conditions and adverse weather, the ICG ship has arrived and is actively engaged in firefighting operations.
Upon arriving at the scene, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ships Sujeet and Samrat have augmented fire fighting efforts. The fire fighting operation is currently being conducted by three ICG Ships Sujeet, Sachet, and Samrat. Persistent efforts by the ships for more than 12 hours have prevented the fire from spreading further.
As of 0700 hours on 20 Jul 2024, the Maersk Frankfurt is positioned 6.5 nautical miles south of Karwar. The vessel has been advised to alter course away from land and is currently heading on course 180 at a speed of 6 knots. However, prevailing south-westerly winds and heavy swells are posing challenges in fire fighting operations.
The Coast Guard Dornier was launched from Goa at first light for aerial assessment of the area. An additional Coast Guard aircraft has been positioned from Kochi to Goa to augment search and rescue (SAR) operations and manage further contingencies.
The Emergency Towing vessel (ETV) Water Lily departed from Mumbai on the evening of 19 Jul 2024 and is expected to arrive at the scene of action by the evening of 21 Jul 2024.