“Emma Maersk”, one of the world’s largest container ships, is currently facing mechanical problems at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal after water leaked inside its engines room, putting the ship at the risk of sinking, an official in the Suez Canal Authority has reported.
The 15,550teu ship subsequently lost power and had to be towed into Suez Canal Container Terminal. The crew is safe and there was no pollution, Maersk Line said in a statement.
“Emma Maersk”, one of the world’s largest container ships, is currently facing mechanical problems at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal after water leaked inside its engines room, putting the ship at the risk of sinking, an official in the Suez Canal Authority has reported.
The 15,550teu ship subsequently lost power and had to be towed into Suez Canal Container Terminal. The crew is safe and there was no pollution, Maersk Line said in a statement.
The Denmark-registered ship was heading from Europe to Asia and had just entered the canal at the time of the incident on Friday night. It was loaded with 13,537teu. Half the boxes onboard are empty.
All on board will now be discharged and loaded onto other vessels, a spokesman told Lloyd’s List. Maersk Line is still making the arrangements and considering whether its own ships pick up the cargo, or if a chartered vessel will be needed.
The 397-meter long vessel is owned by Denmark’s Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company. Suez Canal tugboats were despatched to move the ship towards the Mediterranean to avoid blocking the waterway should the ship sink.
The ship is now docked at the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) at the mouth of the Canal and assessments are ongoing as to how to shift the containers, and what damage may have been sustained mechanically. Divers are also understood to be conducting a hull inspection.
“The situation is largely under control and it is being handled swiftly to avoid complications,” a Suez Canal official, who requested anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to media, said.
He added that the strategic water way is unlikely to be closed down, even if the ship sinks.
Also unclear at this stage is the extent of damage to its huge 14-cylinder engine, and whether it is repairable.
Investigators have yet to determine how the water entered the engine room and whether the hull was damaged. Divers were due to insect the ship weekend. No other vessel was involved.
“The northern entrance of the canal is divided into two branches, and even if one of them is shutdown, the other can still be used,” the official explained.
The 397-metre long, 56-metre wide Emma Maersk was the first of a new class of containerships. Only recently has a ship with larger cargo capacity entered service.
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