APL Vancouver En-route to Singapore

The fire-stricken 9,200 teu APL Vancouver is en route to a Singapore lay-by berth for inspection by surveyors, following the decision last week to declare general average (GA).

"The vessel was cleared for departure on February 12th following inspections by the Salvage team and Class surveyor," said a press note from APL.

Additional safety measures have been provided for its voyage to Singapore, including an escort tug.

At about 0330 hours on 31 January, off the Vietnamese coast, a fire started in a cargo hold forward of the vessel’s accommodation block. The ship, in transit from China to Singapore, had to be partly evacuated then.

The incident on board the vessel has been brought to an end with swift emergency response by its crew and immediate salvage operations that were activated.

All crew onboard has remained safe and no pollution has resulted from the situation.

A full investigation will be undertaken to determine the cause of the incident.

"APL would like to express its gratitude to the Vietnamese authorities for their very efficient and effective professional assistance," it said.