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Fire hit Yantian Express sailing to Freeport, Bahamas

The Hapag-Lloyd containership Yantian Express is to sail to Freeport in the Bahamas three weeks after it was hit with a cargo fire.

Marcus Hand, Editor

January 25, 2019

1 Min Read
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The Yantian Express suffered a fire in container while transiting the Atlantic from Canada on 3 January. The fire spread to other containers forcing the evacuation of the vessel with it taking firefighting tugs a week to bring the fire under control and largely contained.

Hapag-Lloyd said the salvage master from Smit had taken the decision to sail the vessel to Freeport in the Bahamas.

“Once there, the recovery and assessment efforts of the cargo can proceed in a safer environment. At present, the container ship is approximately 1,250 nautical miles from the Bahamas and is expected to arrive in Freeport by next week,” the company said.

Read more: Unfinished business – a poor start to the year for marine safety

The vessel is sailing under its own power with a tug escort. Originally it had been planned to sail the vessel to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Hapag-Lloyd said it was not able to make a precise estimate of the cargo damage.

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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