Fire fighting operations have continued nonstop since Wednesday afternoon 18 July. Thanks to continuous cooling, the fire has not spread further. The second fire fighting tugboat Anglian Sovereign arrived Friday morning, the third, the Carlo Magno, on Saturday the 21st.
After the arrival of the second fire fighting tugboat, a party of four salvage specialists boarded the MSC Flaminia. The team was able to reactivate the ship’s own fire fighting system. It is now additionally supporting the fire fighting operations of both tugboats.
Ship is Listing
According to the salvage captain the hull of the vessel is intact. Due to damaged cargo and extinguishing water the ship is listing by 8.5 degrees.
Extent of the Damage
The extent of the damage onboard the MSC Flaminia is considerable. Cargo holds 4 – where the fire originated from -, 5 and 6 are demolished. According to salvage specialists cargo hold 7, which is located adjacent to the superstructure, is not on fire. The superstructure itself, the engine room as well as bow and stern – including the steering gear – are all not affected by the fire.
Experts estimate that the fire fighting operations could take some weeks. Afterwards, the ship is supposed to be towed to Europe for repairs.
Picture: Fire fighting may take several weeks. The ship is now listing by approximately 8.5 degrees due to damaged cargo and extinguishing water (source: https://www.reederei-nsb.de/site_en/index.php?page=bilddatenbank&folderid=24316&backtopress=1[Reederei NSB])
