China’s Ministry of Transport has shown its swift and effective response to a container fire reported aboard a foreign flagged vessel far offshore. According to the Ministry, the coordinated operation successfully contained the blaze, safeguarding the ship and eliminating danger to the crew.
The fire was first reported on July 28 aboard what the Ministry described as a large containership carrying 25 crew members. The vessel was later identified as a 2006 built ship with a capacity of 8,500 TEU. At the time, the ship was approximately 190 nautical miles northwest of the Nansha district in southern China. AIS data showed it had departed Shenzhen, China, and was en route to Vietnam.
Upon receiving the distress call, the Salvage Bureau relayed it to the South China Sea Rescue Bureau, which dispatched a patrol vessel. A rescue helicopter was also deployed to quickly assess the situation from the air and provide real time fire updates. The fire was located in four containers near the front of the vessel. When the patrol vessel arrived, a specialized firefighting team boarded the ship. The firefighting operation lasted around 20 hours, and by the afternoon of July 30, temperatures inside the affected containers had normalized, allowing authorities to declare the fire extinguished.
The team maintained vigilant monitoring to ensure there was no reignition. With the fire confirmed out, they began escorting the vessel to safety. AIS data indicated the vessel was moving at a slow 5.8 knots and reached Vietnam on August 5.