Boxship on Fire in East China Sea
The Japanese-built containership Kamala caught fire around 400km off the coast of the Japanese island of Kuchinoshima in the East China Sea.
The accident happened during a voyage from Gresik, Indonesia to Ulsan, South Korea with 796 containers on board, including hazardous cargo. The fire started in several of deck containers and duty officer sent a distress signal to Japanese Coast Guard immediately.
The vessel (24,724 dwt, built 1999) was headed to the Korean port of Ulsan, having departed Gresik in Indonesia, when it sent a distress signal yesterday (Saturday) morning around 12:45am.
The Japan’s 10th Regional Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter at the scene of the accident to see the Kamala’s condition and noticed that about 30 deck containers in the fore part are on fire.
No injuries were sustained by the 23 crew members, mostly from Thailand and India, although it’s not clear yet whether they have evacuated the vessel.
Kamala was built in 1999 by Imabari Shipbuilding in their shipyard in Marugame, Japan.
