Maersk Honam (2018) | Novatug Maritime Wiki

Classification

Incident Type: Fire
Severity: High

Vessel Details

Field	Value
Vessel Name	Maersk Honam
Vessel Type	Container
Flag State	Singapore [SG]
IMO Number	9784271
Gross Tonnage	153153
LOA (m)	353.02
Breadth (m)	53.56
Bollard Pull (t)
Power (kW)	54960
Owner/Operator	A.P. Moller Singapore Pte. Ltd. / Maersk Line A/S
TEU	15282
Year Built	2017
Crew Size	27

Incident Details

Field	Value
Date	2018-03-06
Location	Arabian Sea, about 900 nautical miles west of the coast of India
Coordinates	10.759667, 65.924167
Region	Arabian Sea
Fatalities	4
Injuries
Missing	1
Cargo Loss
Direct Damage
Economic Damage
Insured Loss
Salvage/Cleanup Cost

Key facts

The fire began in no. 3 cargo hold at about 19:45 local time on 6 March 2018 while Maersk Honam was sailing from Singapore toward the Suez Canal with 7,860 containers and 27 crew.
The crew attempted boundary cooling and carbon-dioxide release before abandoning the vessel at about 22:15.
ALS Ceres rescued 23 crew at about 01:30 on 7 March. One rescued crew member later died, remains of three of the four initially missing crew were recovered, and one crew member remained missing in the TSIB account; later Maersk and Indian Coast Guard reporting counted five deaths.
The fire affected the accommodation and cargo holds nos. 1, 2, and 3. Firefighting and boundary cooling continued for about five days before the vessel was towed to the United Arab Emirates.
TSIB could not conclusively determine the ignition cause but found that compromised sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate and block stowage could have produced self-decomposition and uncontrollable fire spread.

Narrative

On 6 March 2018, the Singapore-registered container ship Maersk Honam was sailing from Singapore toward the Suez Canal with 7,860 containers and 27 crew. At about 19:45 local time, a smoke alarm indicated a fire in no. 3 cargo hold while the vessel was in the Arabian Sea about 900 nautical miles west of India. The crew began boundary cooling and released carbon dioxide into the hold, but the fire continued to develop.

The crew abandoned ship at about 22:15. ALS Ceres rescued 23 crew from the lifeboat at about 01:30 on 7 March. Four crew members were initially unaccounted for. One rescued crew member later died from injuries while being taken ashore. A salvage team boarded Maersk Honam on 10 March, and remains of three of the four missing crew were recovered the following day. The TSIB report therefore records four fatalities and one remaining missing person, while later Maersk and Indian Coast Guard reporting counts five deaths. The page retains the TSIB-coded fields and records the discrepancy between these reports.

Firefighting and boundary cooling continued for about five days because of persistent hotspots in the holds forward of the accommodation. Damage affected the accommodation and cargo holds nos. 1, 2, and 3, leaving the vessel unfit to continue the voyage. After the fire subsided, the company arranged for Maersk Honam to be towed to the United Arab Emirates as a port of refuge.

TSIB could not conclusively determine the ignition cause because most evidence was destroyed. Its findings state that one or more containers containing sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate may have undergone self-decomposition, with block stowage worsening the reaction and heat production. The report also identified delayed use of the fire alarm, incomplete closure of fire doors and ventilation flaps, unclear muster-list roles, and emergency-response instructions that did not ensure all relevant dampers were closed.

Sequence of events

Date/time	Event
2018-03-01	Maersk Honam completed cargo operations in Singapore and departed for Europe via the Suez Canal.
2018-03-06 19:45 local	A smoke alarm indicated a fire in no. 3 cargo hold.
2018-03-06 22:15 local	The crew abandoned ship after onboard firefighting and carbon-dioxide release failed to extinguish the fire.
2018-03-07 01:30 local	ALS Ceres rescued 23 crew; four others were reported missing.
2018-03-10	A salvage team boarded Maersk Honam for firefighting and search operations.
2018-03-11	Remains of three of the four missing crew were recovered.
After the fire subsided	The vessel was towed to the United Arab Emirates as a port of refuge.

Contributing factors

Factor	Evidence status	Description
Possible decomposition of SDID cargo	Suspected	TSIB could not establish the ignition cause but found that compromised SDID containers could have self-decomposed and that block stowage could have accelerated the reaction.
Delayed fire-alarm response and incomplete ventilation closure	Confirmed finding	The report found that the general alarm was raised instead of the fire alarm at the onset, delaying closure of magnetic fire doors and leaving exterior ventilation openings unclosed.
Emergency-response and muster arrangements	Confirmed finding	The muster list did not clearly identify all roles, and the emergency flow charts did not ensure that all ventilator flaps and dampers were closed as a primary action.
Hazard classification of SDID	Confirmed finding	TSIB found that the IMDG Code did not identify the compound's secondary decomposition and instability hazards despite its properties being similar to Class 5.1 oxidising substances.

Investigation

The Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau final report MIB/MAI/CAS.035, dated 5 October 2020, classified the occurrence as a very serious marine casualty. TSIB could not conclusively determine the fire's cause, but it documented a possible SDID decomposition mechanism and made safety recommendations concerning cargo classification, cargo stowage, fire detection, firefighting equipment, and emergency procedures.

References

Video

Maersk Honam fire