A container ship belonging to the Danish shipping giant, Maersk, called Laura Maersk, has suffered an explosion in engine room, which injured one crewmember and disabled the ship.
The incident which happened late Thursday, June 4 in North Atlantic, SE of Newark, New Jersey, off Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic state of USA, in being contained by security operatives who came to the rescue.
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In the rescue operations, the CG helicopter which was mobilised couldn’t make it both ways to medevac injured crew.
But in a progressive move, the helicopter landed on Navy destroyer USS MAHAN, and took off from destroyer after approaching damaged Laura Maersk.
The crew had been transferred to hospital in Norfolk.
Findings showed that as of 0530 UTC Saturday, June 6, Laura Maersk remained according to track, disabled and adrift, no tug in sight.
However, it was envisaged that the crew will manage to restart engine by own means.
If not for the accident, the ship was booked to arrive at Newark on Friday, June 5, from Algeciras Spain.
Below is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
The Coast Guard medevaced a man from a containership approximately 275 miles off the coast of Ocean City on Friday morning.
Watch standers at the Coast Guard’s 5th District command center received a report on Thursday evening that an explosion occurred in the engine room of the cargo ship Laura Maersk, which burned a crewmember and disabled the vessel.
Air crews aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., launched to medevac the injured crewmember.
Due to the extensive distance, the Coast Guard 5th District coordinated with U.S. Fleet Forces Command to have the helicopter land on USS Mahan (DDG 72) and refuel before conducting the medevac.
Once on scene, the air crew hoisted the man onto the helicopter and transported him to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital in Norfolk, Va.
A plan is currently being developed to salvage the disabled vessel.
“U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the USS Mahan were instrumental in getting this crewmember help as soon as possible,” said Lt. David Steele, command duty officer during the case “This case highlights how good communications in a highly complex situation allows us to work together seamlessly to help those in need.”
