Maersk boxship hit by explosion off Maryland, crewman evacuated

A containership operated by Danish shipping major Maersk suffered an explosion some 275 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland, USA, on 5 June.

The explosion, which occurred in the engine room of the Post-Panamax vessel Laura Maersk, caused burn injuries to a crewmember and disabled the vessel, the US Coast Guard said.

The injured man was medevaced by a USCG helicopter and transported to Norfolk Sentara General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.

The USCG MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was assisted by the US Navy as it had to refuel on the navy ship USS Mahan on the way to pick up the injured seafarer.

“U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the USS Mahan were instrumental in getting this crewmember help as soon as possible,” Lt. David Steele, command duty officer during the case, commented.

A plan has been developed to salvage the disabled vessel. No further details on the incident have been unveiled.

The 4,258 TEU Laura Maersk departed Algeciras, Spain, in late May and was en route to Port Newark, USA, at the time of the explosion, data provided by VesselsValue shows.