Shipping giant Maersk Line confirmed that the berthing and discharging operations of the fire-stricken Maersk Honam would result in high extraordinary costs.
The company has therefore decided to declare General Average, according to a notice released by Maersk’s 2M alliance partner Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), under which all parties with a financial interest in the voyage are to proportionally share the losses resulting from the incident.
The fire on board the ultra large containership was earlier localized and prevented from spreading, the Indian Coast Guard said on March 9. Specialized firefighting vessels remain engaged, with salvage operations led by Smit Salvage and Ardent.
The Danish carrier appointed Richards Hogg Lindley (RHL), London as the General Adjuster and they will keep all containers under their control until security arrangements have been made with the Average Adjusters, both for General Average and Salvage.
Singapore-flagged Maersk Honam suffered the fire in its cargo hold on March 6. At the time, the ship, which was enroute from Singapore towards Suez, was crewed by 27 sailors.
23 crew members were evacuated by the vessel ALS Ceres after the fire broke out. One was reported dead due to injuries sustained in connection with the fire, while the salvors found the remains of three out of the four missing crew members aboard Maersk Honam, the company said on March 12.
Maersk Line informed that a full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the fire and the impact to the vessel and cargo.
航運巨擎馬士基航運公司證實，起火的船”Maersk Honam”號停泊和卸貨操作將會有非常高的成本。
根據馬士基航運 2M 聯盟合作夥伴地中海航運發佈的公告，該公司決定宣布共同海損(General Average)。在航程中擁有財務利益的所有各方將按比例分攤事件造成的損失。
印度海岸警衛隊於3月9日表示，”Maersk Honam”號的火勢已獲得控制，目前由 Smit Salvage 和 Ardent所領到下的消防船隊持續參與海上救援和打撈。
馬士基海運已任命 Richards Hogg Lindley (RHK) 為總調度員，該公司將會保留所有集裝箱，直到與平均調解員達成安全協議，內容包括共同海損和救助。
3月6日，當時，新加坡籍”Maersk Honam”號正前往蘇伊士時貨艙發生火災，船上共有27名船員，其中23名撤離至附近的”ALS Ceres”號上，其餘4名船員失蹤。3月12日，”Maersk Honam”號發現4名失蹤船員中的3人遺體，此外還有一名船員搶救無效死亡。
馬士基航運表示，將對”Maersk Honam”號進行全面調查，以確定起火原因以及火災對船舶和貨物造成的影響。
Imformation Source: World Maritime News
