One killed in blast on containership in Arabian Sea off India

The Panamanian Maritime Authority (Autoridad Marítima de Panamá; AMP) has confirmed that one person was killed after a Panama-registered containership suffered an onboard explosion and a subsequent fire while in the Arabian Sea off India on Friday, July 19.

The incident involving the 255-metre Maersk Frankfurt occurred while it was underway approximately 50 nautical miles off the city of Karwar in Karnataka state. The AMP said the ship's operator had reported the presence of a body on the lashing bridge, though the deceased individual cannot be reached due to the flames.

The Indian Coast Guard then deployed three vessels and an aircraft to the area. The coast guard said its crews on the deployed vessels were still working to extinguish the blaze on the afternoon of Sunday, July 21.

Initial reports stated that the blast was caused by an electrical short. The resulting blaze then spread across the ship including its cargo of containers, some of which are believed to be IMDG-classed cargo, though the coast guard said evacuation was not yet required.

A coast guard official said the fire near the bow has been contained, though smoke is still billowing from this area of the vessel. The same official also confirmed that a blaze had reignited amidships, further prolonging the firefighting operation.

The ship's captain had reportedly told the coast guard that anchoring was not possible, as melting containers have compromised the forecastle area, making it unsafe for the crew to reach. He has since been advised to change course to bring the ship farther away from shore as the coast guard's firefighting operations continued.

Maersk Frankfurt was transporting containers from Mundra in Gujarat to Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo when the explosion occurred. The only fatality among the 21-strong crew has been identified as a Filipino national.