On December 23, the 220 meter long passenger cruise ship Costa Neoclassica caught fire while en route to Aqaba. The blaze started in the vessel’s smokestack, but was quickly extinguished by the crew. The vessel was able to continue under its own power to Aqaba. An inspection in port found damage was limited to the external portion of the funnel. No reports of injuries or pollution released. The Costa Neoclassiaca was able to leave port for a voyage to Mauritius.
The 336 meter long container ship Colombo Express collided with the 332 meter long container ship Maersk Tanjong in the Suez Canal near Port Said, Egypt. The Colombo Express was attempting to overtake the Maersk Tanjong when it lost rudder control and swung hard to port striking the starboard stern of the Tanjong. The port side of the Colombo Express’s bow sustained a 20 meter dent and three containers fell overboard. One container was later recovered. No reports of injuries or pollution released. Both vessels proceeded to the canal lakes for repairs while authorities conduct an investigation into the incident.
The 300 meter long, 88700 dwt container ship Maersk Kampala caught fire while transiting the Suez Canal. The Maersk Kampala departed from Jeddah with some 4,000 containers when two containers on the bottom of the stack on the fore deck caught fire. The crew attempted to fight the blaze, but were unable to extinguish it before it spread to other containers on deck. Several tugboats with fire-fighting capabilities arrived and assisted in fighting the blaze. The tugs were able to contain the fire to just six containers the following day. Fire-fighting teams were able to eventually to douse the fire and put out any remaining hot spots. No reports of injuries. Reports state the vessel was adrift and may have suffered some damage beyond the containers on deck.
