Major fire extinguished aboard 8,500 TEU container ship, all 25 crew rescued

A major maritime incident was averted in the South China Sea after Chinese rescue authorities successfully extinguished a fire aboard the STRATFORD, an 8,533 TEU container ship, saving all 25 crew members and preventing environmental damage.

The incident occurred on 28 July, when four containers on board the Liberia-flagged vessel caught fire approximately 190 nautical miles northwest of Yongshu Reef, within China’s Nansha Islands.

According to a LinkedIn post by Yang Chen, editor-in-chief of Chinese media outlet Xinde Marine News, the STRATFORD is owned and managed by the German company Oltmann D GmbH & Co KG and was operating on the China–India Express 3 (CIX3) service under charter to OOCL.

After nearly four days of coordinated operations at sea, the fire was fully brought under control by 2 p.m. on 30 July. Subsequent inspections confirmed that no hotspots or residual risks remained by the evening of 1 August.Chinese authorities stressed that the rapid response “not only ensured the safety of the multinational crew but also protected vital international shipping routes and marine ecosystems from potential disaster.”

The STRATFORD remains afloat and under escort as authorities continue to monitor its safe passage.

Source : worldcargonews