An MSC container vessel caught fire off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 6 June. According to available information, the fire broke out at an anchorage in the port of Khalifa in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE.
The country’s National Search and Rescue Center (NSRC) shared the following tweet on 7 June:
نفذ المركز الوطني للبحث والانقاذ التابع للحرس الوطني يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 6 يونيو 2023 مهمة إخلاء طبي لمصاب أثناء احتراق سفينة تابعة لجمهورية بنما في المياة الإقليمية التابعة لدولة الامارات.
تم إخلاء المصاب بطائرة المركز إلى مدينة الشيخ شخبوط الطبية لتلقي العلاج اللازم. pic.twitter.com/VvY9vLYtNK— NSRCUAE – NGC (@NSRCUAE) June 7, 2023
UAE’s NSRC said that on 6 June, it carried out a medical evacuation mission for an injured person during the fire incident of the MSC boxship in the territorial waters of the UAE. “The injured person was evacuated by the center’s plane to Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City to receive the necessary treatment,” NSRC noted.
There are unconfirmed reports that say the injured crew member has died.
The container vessel seems to be the 8,034 TEU MSC Rita, which was built in 2005 and sails under the flag of the Republic of Panama.
