Around 2:30 PM (local time) on July 19, 2024, a fire erupted on the Maersk Frankfurt container ship as it sailed roughly one hundred miles off the coast of Goa, India. The Indian Coast Guard dispatched three vessels to combat the fire, which is believed to have started in a container located at the ship's bow. The container ship is managed by Bernard Schulte and operates under a time charter contract for Maersk. Launched in May 2024 by Japan's Imabari Shipbuilding, the Maersk Frankfurt is 255 meters long and has a capacity of 5,920 TEU.
Reports indicate that one crew member is missing. Initially, the crew attempted to extinguish the flames using onboard systems, but their efforts were unsuccessful, leading them to call the Indian Coast Guard. The fire subsequently spread to about twenty containers. The rescue operations are being conducted under adverse weather conditions. In a statement, Maersk described the ship's condition as "stable." The vessel had departed from the Indian port of Mundra on July 17, 2024, and was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, before continuing to Malaysia, Singapore, and China.
