Update: Marie Maersk continues voyage as container fire smoulders

Danish container shipping giant Maersk said its ULCS Marie Maersk is continuing a journey that will take the vessel around Africa’s southernmost point, while crew and expert firefighting teams continue to work to prevent further spread of a container fire that has burned for nearly two weeks.

"The fire is contained and under control, with an external firefighting team on board monitoring the situation continuously. A supply vessel with additional firefighting equipment has reached Marie Maersk on Friday evening (22 August) and transferred special equipment on board Marie Maersk on 23 August.

After an inspection of affected areas of the vessel and careful consideration of all aspects together with authorities and class, it was deemed safe that Marie Maersk resumes its eastbound voyage around Cape of Good Hope on Sunday (24 August)," a Maersk statement said.

The vessel initially diverted towards the West African coast to receive assistance, but, with the fire not fully extinguished, has been unable to find a port of refuge. Maersk has said the next port of destination is under final review, and the vessel will continue to sail with firefighters in place, monitoring the fire.

"The external firefighting team will remain on board and special measures have been put in place to ensure a safe journey. An intermediate stop might be implemented depending on the optimal place for handling the damaged containers and to mitigate onward disruptions to our ocean network. Our overall goal is to ensure a safe journey and fastest possible delivery of the sound cargo to our customers. Contingency is in place in case the planned journey needs to be revised en route," according to Maersk.

Maersk said that one container, that has been flooded with water, "still shows an elevated temperature while being under control". 

20 August

“The external firefighter crew is on board Marie Maersk since yesterday and actively fighting the fire alongside the Marie Maersk crew," the latest update on the state of affairs on board the burning ultra-large container ship said. "The fire has been contained but not suppressed completely and port of refuge is also still under contemplation."

An 18 August update from container shipping giant Maersk has confirmed that its more than 19,000-TEU vessel Marie Maersk was still in search of a port of refuge and that crew were still fighting a fire that began five days prior, on 13 August.

"As reported before, the crew is safe and the vessel is in stable condition, with all machinery, steering and navigational equipment fully operational. Over the weekend, the crew’s ongoing firefighting has stopped the fire on board from spreading further. This was also achieved thanks to the assisting four assets, three tugboats and one platform supply vessel with firefighting equipment which have reached the vessel over the past days," a Maersk spokesperson said in an email to Riviera.

The line was hopeful that the addition of external firefighters would provide progress on stemming the fire and allow crew to rest.

"We expect firefighting efforts to intensify further once the external firefighters can board Marie Maersk and bring further relief to the Marie Maersk crew. 

Maersk said in its first reports that the vessel had been diverted toward the West African coast as soon as the fire on board was discovered. The vessel remains off the Liberian coast and will be diverted to a port of refuge which is under contemplation with the goal of getting landside support as fast as possible, Maersk’s statement said.

Maersk has said its crisis response team is in ’constant’ communication with the vessel crew to provide support and that conditions on board mean Maersk still cannot confirm the exact impact of the fire on the cargo.

14 August

Maersk is reporting a fire on board one of its ultra-large container vessels off the coast of West Africa, with fire-fighting underway on board and fire-fighting vessels attending the ship.

Crew spotted a fire breaking out in a container on board one of Maersk’s Triple E-class container vessels, 2013-built, 19,076-TEU Marie Maersk on 13 August, according to the container shipping line, and began safety procedures to try to control the blaze. 

“On the morning of 13 August 2025, the crew of Marie Maersk detected smoke coming from containers on board the vessel en route from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia," a statement from the line said.

"The crew is safe, and the vessel is reportedly in a stable condition, with all machinery, steering and navigational equipment fully operational. The crew is following all necessary safety and firefighting procedures and is working to keep the situation under control while external fire-fighting support is being organised. Two tugboats with fire-fighting equipment reached the ship on the evening of 13 August (local time). The vessel is sailing off the Liberian coast and was diverted towards the West African coast to get landside support as fast as possible."

Maritime historian Sal Mercogliano posted to his X (formerly Twitter) profile that the vessel was "hove to, with Maersk Savannah on stand by" and two tugboats, Captain Cat and Med Rigel aiding the fire-stricken vessel with ship-tracking database screen grabs to accompany the post. 

"We remain in constant touch with the vessel crew and offer them all possible support. We cannot confirm the extent of the fire’s impact on the cargo yet," Maersk’s statement said.

Fires on board container vessels have become increasingly common, with misdeclared cargo often cited as a cause. 

In early June 2025, explosions and a fire broke out on Singapore‑flagged container ship Wan Hai 503 as it sailed in the Arabian Sea, off India’s southern state of Kerala. Explosions were reported from below deck and a fire erupted from containers in the cargo hold and spread to other containers. Four of the vessel’s crew are missing and presumed dead, and the vessel remains in search of a port of refuge for intensive salvage operations.

The Wan Hai fire occurred just two weeks after Liberia-flagged container ship MSC Elsa 3 listed then sank off India, with all 24 crew members rescued.