On 1 February 2013 Emma Maersk, Maersk Line’s largest container vessel, experienced ingress of water into the engine room. The vessel had just commenced its southbound voyage through the Suez Canal en route to Asia. The captain decided to terminate the planned voyage and go alongside the nearby Suez Canal Container Terminal.

Work on discharging the containers is well underway. Priority has been given to discharge reefer containers.

Cause Unknown

The initial assessment is that the vessel was not at any time in any danger of sinking, nor was the crew at any time in danger. There are no signs of pollution. Investigations are now underway to establish the exact cause of the problem.

Picture: Maersk Line's largest container vessel Emma Maersk (by Maersk Line)