Maersk Line has confirmed that its 13,600TEU ship the Maersk Elba suffered an engine room fire on 26 December while the vessel was en route from Suez in Egypt to Felixstowe in the UK.
All crew are safe and accounted for said a Maersk spokesman, who added that firefighting measures were quickly initiated, and the blaze was brought under control. Maersk said the vessel was assessed for damage after anchoring south of Portugal.
“On 29 December, a towage operation was initiated to get the vessel alongside for further repair at the Port of Algeciras, Spain. The safety and health of our people remain our main priority. Customers are being contacted directly regarding contingency planning of their cargo,” said the spokesman.
Nick Savvides
Managing Editor