Fire-stricken Containership Under Tow to Spain

A containership disabled by an engine room fire off the coast of Portugal is being towed to the Port of Algeciras in Spain for repairs.

The Danish-flagged Maersk Elba was initially towed to anchorage off Sagres after the fire left the box ship without power and adrift on Saturday while en route from Sri Lanka to Felixstowe, U.K. via the Suez Canal.

The crew was able to fight back the blaze and extinguish the fire without any reported injuries or pollution. 

The Maersk Elba crew had been working to restore the ship's propulsion and repair other systems affected by the fire, but it was determined that the 366-meter ship was unfit to sail under its own power.

The 13,000 TEU vessel is expected to arrive at a shipyard in Algeciras on Thursday. There, the ship will undergo temporary repairs before resuming its voyage to Europe.