I cut/pasted this story from the Lloyd's website. Fortunately we didn't have any containers on board of this ship:
Fire happened late last week
The following extracts from Lloyd's List appear with the kind permission of Lloyd's Casualty Desk.
London, Mar 29 - Explosions that ripped apart the c.c. Hyundai Fortune last week were so powerful that the original theory of fireworks catching alight is being discounted in some circles. Instead, experts are turning their attention to other explanations after studying new photographs of the containership that reveal in far more detail the full extent of the devastation. The rear section of the 5,551 teu vessel has been almost totally destroyed by the fire that has blazed for the past week. Damage to the
hull, which is almost split in two, has raised suspicions "that it may not have been fireworks" which caused the
accident, the TT Club's chief executive Paul Neagle told a press conference to announce the mutual insurer's latest results. The stern of the Hyundai Fortune has been burned out and the
hull holed, raising questions about whether some external force was responsible. Fireworks or other hazardous cargoes would have been in containers above
deck, whereas the Hyundai Fortune appears to have been rocked by explosions below
deck. While reluctant to speculate publicly, industry sources have started to consider in private whether the vessel could have been the target of a
piracy or terrorist attack, or even hit a mine. The vessel was 60 miles off the Yemeni coast when the blaze broke out. Another possibility could have been a gas or
fuel tank exploding, said one expert. The crew was evacuated with just one injury. The TT Club estimates that at least 500 containers on the vessel have been destroyed. The value of the boxes on the burning vessel is put at around $8m-$9m, and will contribute to the general average. Most were insured through the TT Club. Regardless of the eventual conclusions of inspectors investigating the disaster, the TT Club yesterday expressed concern about the problems of knowing exactly what is loaded in containers. With some lines now refusing to accept certain chemicals or other potentially unstable freight, the TT Club said there are suspicions that "fraud" is taking place with some shippers allegedly misdeclaring consignments and putting vessels and crews in
danger.
http://cruisersforum.com/photopost//...php?photo=1981
http://cruisersforum.com/photopost//...php?photo=1980
-Jan-
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