ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet, and Samrat are engaged in the operations to control and extinguish the fire.An ICG Dornier aircraft has carried out an aerial assessment, while an ALH Dhruv helicopter has been deployed from New Mangalore for Goa, assessing the vessel enroute and evaluating the feasibility of deploying Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) bags to aid firefighting.
Coast Guard District headquarters no 11 (Goa) is arranging the provision of DCP bags and balls to support firefighting operations. Additionally, the specialized pollution control vessel Samudra Prahari were also deployed to provide further assistance.
Continuous monitoring and response efforts are also in place to control the situation. Providing an update on social media, ICG said, “Indian Coast Guard continues its robust response to the fire onboard MV Maersk Frankfurt. The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship. ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat are ongoing with fire-fighting operations. Additionally, ICG Pollution Control Vessel Samudra Prahari is being deployed to the scene today. A Dornier aircraft and ALH Dhruv helicopter have assessed the vessel, and no crew evacuation is required yet. CG remains committed to ensuring safety and mitigating environmental impact. Efforts are ongoing.”
Late on Friday night, the Indian Coast Guard control room in Mumbai received a distress call from container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt located 50 nautical miles off Karwar regarding a major fire onboard. Three ICG ships were immediately mobilized into action, supported by an additional aircraft to augment search and rescue efforts.
“India Coast Guard MRCC Mumbai received distress call on 19 Jul 24 from container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt 50 NM off Karwar regarding major fire onboard. ICG Dornier & Ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat pressed into action. ALH and additional aircraft being mobilized to augment SAR efforts! firefighting in progress to avert ecological disaster and ensure safety of vessel and crew,” the Coast Guard had posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday night.
