Dangerous cargoes and container ship fires back in the spotlight

Fires on board container ships have long been a scourge of the industry wreaking huge amounts of damage on both vessels and cargo, and in many cases sadly leading to serious injuries and fatalities among the crew.

In the case of the blast that occurred on the 6,589 teu YM Mobility while berthed in Ningbo-Zhoushan port the vessel’s crew and port would have appear to have been aware of the impending danger and videos showed large amounts of white smoke billowing from containers stowed on the ship’s bow prior to the explosion. This would have given time to evacuate crew from the vessel and port workers in the nearby area and fortunately no fatalities or casualties were reported.

In a statement released on the same day as the fire and explosion Yang Ming indicated that the fire had started in a box containing dangerous cargo.

While saying the incident was still under investigation the company said: “Preliminary findings suggest that an explosion occurred in a container loaded with dangerous goods on board. According to the shipper's declaration, the container was a reefer used as a substitute for a dry container, without requiring power connection.”

Given it is summer in Ningbo-Zhoushan temperatures would have been relatively high - reportedly between 26 and 29 degrees centigrade on 9 August, however these are far from unusual conditions and container vessels operate safely in much higher temperatures.

Related:Massive blast on Yang Ming container ship in Ningbo

Commenting on the incident Peter Sand, Xeneta Chief Analyst, said: “This type of incident 

should never happen and is another example of how one failure in ocean container shipping can have catastrophic consequences,” he said.

 “Had this explosion happened at sea rather than at berth in port then the crew and ship would have been in even more perilous danger.

“An investigation will take place and the industry must learn from it. Container ships are used to transport hazardous and potentially explosive cargo, so it is of paramount importance that robust safety measures are in place.”

In the case of Maersk Frankfurt that caught fire off India local reports have indicated that the fire started with an electrical fault with it then spreading to containers carrying goods classified under the IMDG (International Maritime Dangerous Goods) Code.

The fire on the Maersk-chartered newbuilding lasted for 10 days before the Indian Coast Guard and salvors were successfully able to douse it. The fire and explosions on the vessel led to the death of a Filipino seafarer.

Container ship fires are alarmingly regular and leading injuries and loss of life, and huge amounts of damage to cargo and vessels. According to the 2023 Allianz Safety and Shipping Review, there were 64 reported fires on containerships in the previous five years, while insurer TT Club estimates a serious ship fire occurs every 60 days.

Related:Firefighting on Maersk Frankfurt continues into sixth day

The 2024 Allianz Safety and Shipping Review highlighted fire as a major cause of loss of large container ships and noted that with the increased size of ships the adequacy of fire fighting capabilities remained a concern. A fire in a container can quickly take hold and blaze out of control, resulting in the abandoning of the vessel by the crew, which exacerbates the loss situation,” the report said.