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Explosion and fire on MSC container ship at Colombo Port

The Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) say a fire that broke out on board the MSC Capetown III on Sunday has been successfully extinguished.

Marcus Hand, Editor

August 12, 2024

1 Min Read
MSC Capetown III fire damage
Photo: SLPA

According to local reports there was an explosion followed by fire below deck of the MSC Capetown III at 00:30 hrs on 11 August.

The SLPA said the fire broke out while the vessel was docked at Jaya Container Terminal berth IV in the Port of Colombo, and “All operations staff and crews were safely evacuated from the ship".

On Monday the port authority said the fire had been fully extinguished.

Some 60 containers above deck in the are where the explosion occurred had already been unloaded from the vessel, including one which contained dangerous cargo.

Chairman of the SLPA Keith D. Bernard said that an investigation into the incident was to be launched with a comprehensive report prepared and that insurers would also hold their own enquiries.

Firefighting on the MSC Capetown III

The Portuguese, flagged-2006 built, MSC Capetown III berthed in Colombo on Sunday afternoon having sailed from Singapore, and is managed by MSC Shipmanagement in Cyprus. The vessel was scheduled to unload 995 containers and load a further 885 boxes at Colombo Port.

It was the second explosion and fire onboard a container ship in docked in port in the space of three days. On 9 August there was a massive explosion and fire from containers stowed on board the Yang Ming vessel YM Mobility while it was berthed in the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan.

Related:Dangerous cargoes and container ship fires back in the spotlight

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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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