MSC to cover costs related to Maersk Elba fire

Swiss shipping major Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has decided to cover the costs associated with the fire on board the containership Maersk Elba so that the vessel operator will not declare General Average.

At the time of the incident, Maersk Elba was carrying cargo for MSC customers as part of the Shogun-Pearl service.

“This decision was taken to avoid additional costs or delays for our customers as a result of this incident,” MSC said in a customer advisory.

To remind, the Denmark-flagged boxship suffered the fire in late December 2020 while en route from Suez to Felixtowe.

The 13,092 TEU ship was later towed to the Port of Algeciras in Spain for repairs.

“The ship is currently in Algeciras undergoing temporary repairs from where it will continue directly to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where cargo will be offloaded. The ETD is still to be confirmed, but it is currently expected to be 20 January,” MSC added.

“MSC understands that Maersk is planning to arrange feeder vessels for onward carriage of cargo from Wilhelmshaven to Felixstowe and Rotterdam.”

Built in South Korea in 2011, Maersk Elba is owned by Japan’s Financial Products Group and operated by Danish shipping company Maersk, MSC’s partner in the 2M alliance.