Fire on Marie Maersk leads to General Average declaration

by Maria Xaver Dover .
Danish shipping company Maersk has declared General Average on its vessel MARIE MAERSK following a container fire that broke out on board in mid-August.

The 19,000-TEU containership is continuing its voyage and is expected to arrive at Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, on Sunday 14 September. Maersk confirmed that General Average was declared on Thursday 4 September and appointed Sedgwick Global Marine to manage claims and payments. The company has requested customers and cargo owners to provide securities to ensure a quick release of their containers once the ship reaches Malaysia. According to normal procedure under General Average, cargo will not be delivered until the required charges are secured. Sedgwick has also urged freight forwarders to provide full details of any less than container load shipments to avoid delays.

Cargo claims consultancy WK Webster said all containers are likely to be discharged in Malaysia, where surveyors and fire experts are standing by to inspect boxes and investigate the cause of the fire. The fire was first detected on Wednesday 13 August while the vessel was sailing off the coast of Liberia. Crew members immediately began firefighting procedures and were later assisted by two tugboats. On Tuesday 19 August, a specialist firefighting team boarded the ship and managed to extinguish the fire with support from the crew. Maersk later confirmed that the incident had no environmental impact. The vessel continued its journey from Rotterdam and made a scheduled stop in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday 31 August before proceeding toward Malaysia.

Source: Marine Insight