BLAZE FORCES CREW ABANDON CONTAINER SHIP IN RED SEA
The crew of Hong Kong-flagged container ship ASL Bauhinia abandoned ship after a cargo fire broke out on the vessel.
The 1,930 teu, 2022-built, vessel owned by Asean Seas Line in Shanghai was transiting the southern Red Sea enroute from Jebel Ali to Jeddah when an explosion and fire is reported to have ripped through containers on the vessel.
The crew of 22 Chinese nationals abandoned the vessel and all are reported to have been safely rescued. The incident occurred approximately 226 kilometres northwest of Hodeidah, Yemen.
Security consultants report that the burning vessel is now adrift.
Fires involving dangerous cargoes on container ships are a longstanding problem for the industry. Dangerous cargoes are often incorrectly or mis-declared leading to their incorrect stowage on board boxships increasing the risk of an explosion or fire.
In 2023, there was an average of one container cargo fire every nine days, according to statistics from Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS).
A series of fires in mid-2024 including the fatal blaze on board the Maersk Frankfurt and the massive explosion on the YM Mobility while at dock in Ningbo in August highlighted the continued concern over dangerous cargo fires, particularly with the increase in shipments of lithium-ion batteries.
Source: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/accidents/blaze-forces-crew-abandon-container-ship-in-red-sea
