Two sailors have been killed and three more crewmembers have been seriously injured following a blast on the MSC Flamina, a German cargo vessel. The ship was en route to Antwerp, Belgium from Charleston, South Carolina when the blast occurred, in the mid-Atlantic ocean, more than 1000 miles from the closest land.
The incident occurred at around 10 am on the morning of July 14, when a fire broke out in the cargo hold of the vessel. Crew members descended into the hold and attempted to put out the fire, however the raging flames were not able to be controlled and an explosion followed. It is still unclear as to the cause of the intial fire, and the circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation.
There were 25 crew members onboard the MSC Flamina at the time. After being forced to abandon ship, 24 of the sailors were rescued by a crude oil carrier, the DS Crown, that responded to their distress calls. One crew member was missing, now presumed dead.
Four sailors were critically injured in the blast, and were transferred to a hospital in the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal to be treated. Unfortunately, one of the injured died of burn wounds shortly after being admitting. One of the other three injured seamen had to be transferred by air to Portugal for further management, while the remaining two remain in hospital in Azores in a stable condition.
The DS Crown carrying the survivors of the incident arrived at Falmouth Port in the UK on the 18th of July, where they were met by tearful family members and the media.
This is the second major incident involving an MSC vessel in less than a year. In October last year, the MSC M/V Rena cargo vessel was stranded after it hit a reef off the coast of New Zealand. The ship was unable to be towed off the reef and continued to leak oil into the surrounding waters for months following the incident. The ship finally sank completely in April 2012.
The MSC Flamina has received additional firefighting support while offshore, and the ship is continuing to smoulder. Three tug boats have been deployed in order to salvage the damaged vessel. It is still not known whether British authorities will allow the ship to dock in a sheltered harbor, as there is still a significant risk of further explosions.
