Giant Hanjin Boxship Catches Fire in Suez
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Monday, May 4, 2015
Suez Canal Authority said it controlled a blaze in a British container ship passing the waterway Friday, leaving no human losses.
An ultra-large container ship owned by Hanjin Shipping caught fire while underway just south of the Suez Canal on 1 May.
The Suez Canal Authority said that the 2013-built 13,000-teu Hanjin Green Earth was 48 km to the south of the canal when some containers caught fire.
The fire broke out in a stack of containers towards the stern while the vessel was underway 48 km to the south of the canal on Friday evening. The fire was put out in a matter of hours by emergency response vessels. The flames were extinguished after three hours.
The British ship was 48 kilometres to the south of the canal when some containers aboard caught fire, Suez Canal Authority Chairman Mohab Mameesh said.
No injuries or pollution has been reported. The fire did not impact vessel traffic in the Suez Canal, reports said.
The company spokesman said, "We're not clear about the cause of the fire. We'll have to go through the inspection reports." Hanjin Green Earth is now anchored at Port Said in Egypt to await inspection.
The ship was passing through the canal as part of an Asia-North Europe voyage and had just arrived from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.