The surviving fore part of containership MOL Comfort has caught fire while being towed to safe harbour in the Indian Ocean, Mitsui OSK Lines said.
MOL said the fore part, with some 2,672 boxes on board, has been on fire since Saturday and that the Indian Coast Guard and salvage company Smit were helping with firefighting.
One tug, two rescue boats and patrol boat Samudra Prahari, which has an external firefighting system, arrived at the scene around 0030 hours on Saturday.
The surviving fore part of containership MOL Comfort has caught fire while being towed to safe harbour in the Indian Ocean, Mitsui OSK Lines said.
MOL said the fore part, with some 2,672 boxes on board, has been on fire since Saturday and that the Indian Coast Guard and salvage company Smit were helping with firefighting.
One tug, two rescue boats and patrol boat Samudra Prahari, which has an external firefighting system, arrived at the scene around 0030 hours on Saturday.
“We will make our best effort to contain the fire, though the weather is still not favourable to us,” MOL said.
The 2008-built, 8,110 teu ship ruptured on 17 June off the coast of Yemen while en route from Singapore to Jeddah with some 4,372 boxes on board. The ship split in two on the next morning and the stern section sank after drifting 10 days.
Tugs reached the forward section on 24 June, reattaching on 3 July after the vessel slipped free of its tow wire on 1 July.
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