'Emma Maersk' after immediate repairs, the onward journey begins

Immediate repairs to the Emma Maersk are being completed according to schedule. Weather permitting, Emma will be towed to a repair facility on Sunday, February 17, 2013, at around 6 AM Egyptian time. The full extent of damage to the engines will then be assessed and the work of restoring her back to full health will begin.

Palle Laursen, Maersk Line’s Head of Ship Management in Copenhagen, said, “We are delighted that Emma is on the route back towards full service. However, this only the beginning of a long journey – once she gets to the repair facility it will still be several months before repairs are completed.”

He added, “The efforts of the crew, the local Maersk Line, SCCT, and Svitzer organizations and the underwater repair teams should be fully recognized in enabling this. We also appreciate the full support of the Suez Canal Authority in making this happen so quickly.”

On February 1, 2013, Emma Maersk, currently Maersk Line’s largest container vessel, experienced an ingress of water into the engine room. She had just commenced her southbound transit through the Suez  Canal en route to Asia. The captain decided to terminate the planned voyage and go alongside the nearby Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT). Whilst the exact cause of the incident is still being investigated, it has been confirmed that the water came in through a breach in the stern thruster tunnel.

According to Captain Marius Gardastovu, there was never any real danger or panic at any point. “Of course it is a shocking experience when you look back and consider what could have happened,” he says. “But given the circumstances, everything was handled as well as possible because of a close-knit crew who knew exactly what to do.” She was loaded with containers equivalent to 13,537 TEU, of which 6,425 were full.

Alternative arrangements for the cargo have been made whereby sensitive cargo was loaded onto Maersk Line’s existing network shortly after the incident. Further contingencies and schedules have been finalized as part of the cargo was loaded on Maersk Kotka (16B/1301) on Feb 11, some of the cargo was loaded on CC Medea (3FO/933E) on Feb 12, and the remaining eastbound cargo was loaded onto Maersk Kokura (98A/1305) on Feb 18.

The developments are being monitored continuously to ensure minimal impact to customers. Maersk Line’s operations teams are working in close coordination with the local customer and sales representatives to keep customers updated on the developments.

Maersk Line is able to reorganize its fleet without chartering replacement tonnage. The 9,660 TEU 48Y-Butterfly will replace Emma Maersk on the AE10 Asia-Europe service until she is ready to re-enter service. < Korea Shipping Gazette >