Malaysian authorities have confirmed that the effort to contain and extinguish a fire that had ignited on board a containership in Port Klang was still ongoing four days after the incident was first reported.
The Singaporean-flagged Interasia Catalyst had just left Port Klang and was en route to Cochin, India, when its crew spotted smoke emanating from some of the containers on deck on Monday, April 5.
The vessel was then instructed to return immediately to Port Klang Anchorage to await the arrival of firefighting teams from the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), and other local agencies.
By the time the vessel arrived at the anchorage on Wednesday, April 7, the fire had already engulfed 11 containers.
By Sunday, April 11, the fire was extinguished on five containers, allowing firefighters to focus their efforts on the six other affected boxes.
Authorities said three of the affected containers are laden with sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, a hazardous compound often found in laundry detergents and pesticides.
No injuries have been reported.
