Maersk Working to Tow Safmarine Meru to Safety
Update on the containership collision off Ningbo, China
Maersk Line said it is working with Chinese authorities to develop a plan to tow its severely damaged containership Safmarine Meru to safety.
On May 7, the Maersk-owed Safmarine Meru was heavily damaged and caught fire after colliding with the German-owned containership Northen Jasper approximately 120 nautical miles east of Ningbo, China.
According to Maersk, the fire is under control and external firefighting has concluded with fire tugs remaining nearby to observe any developments.
A team of Chinese authority officials and Maersk Line representatives have gone aboard Safmarine Meru to survey the damage and gather information needed to make plans for moving the vessel to shore.
The vessel is without power and has suffered some water ingress, but its condition is stable and it is deemed suitable for towage, Maersk said.
Palle Laursen, Head of Ship Management in Maersk Line, said, “We are currently cooperating with the Chinese authorities to develop a plan to safely tow the vessel alongside in the Port of Ningbo. We will not speculate or comment on the circumstances leading to the incident while investigations are ongoing,”
The 22 crew members aboard Safmarine Meru at the time of the incident are safe, and arrangements to release the crew for shore leave are underway.
The Hong Kong flagged Safmarine Meru is a 4,650 TEU containership built in 2006. At the time of the collision, Safmarine Meru had less than 400 full containers on board.