MAERSK SANA

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Convoy may be heading to Freeport

On May 16, the Norwegian tug 'Sea1 Ruby' finally took the 'Maersk Sana' in tow following an extended period during which the laden vessel was ‘safely adrift at sea’ in the western Atlantic, en route to a port of refuge in the Bahamas, with an expected arrival in the last week of May. it was thought that the container ship will be towed to Freeport, a tow of approximately 900 nautical miles, which at five knots would take seven days. One crew member ‘who was transported to a hospital in the US remained in stable but critical condition and was receiving the best possible care. Maersk remained in communication with its customers about mitigating impacts to their supply chains” The weather conditions have remained favourable siunce the explosion and fire on April 29. The Atlantic hurricane season begins in a few days’ time, and then getting a towline on the 'Maersk Sana' could have been very different. Miami’s National Hurricane Weather Center reported that tropical cyclone formation is not expected within the next seven days.

Norwegian salvage tug reached disabled Maersk ship more than two weeks after explosion

On May 15, the tug 'Sea 1 Ruby' (IMO: 9413444 ), which had left Bergen on May 4, has reached the 'Maersk Sana', which has been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean after an engine room explosion on April 28, approximately 354 nautical miles east of Bermuda, in pos. 33° 27' N 064° 47' W. The tug is due to tow the ship to the Bahamas, where it is expected to arrive in the last week of May. The explosion had injured three crew members one of them seriously, who remains in critical but stable condition in a U.S. hospital. Despite the explosion, the vessel has retained auxiliary power and can use its thruster for limited maneuvering. The tug was dispatched on May 4 with the aim of towing the container ship to a port of refuge in the Bahamas by the last week of May. Maersk defended its decision to use a distant tug, stating it prioritized finding the right vessel for the job rather than the nearest one. Calm weather has thus far prevented the situation from worsening, and Maersk’s monitoring teams continued to track conditions to ensure safety.

Disabled ship waiting for salvage tug

A salvage tug left Europe on May 4, bound for the 'Maersk Sana', which continued to drift in the Atlantic off Bermuda. The vessel which has already been disabled for a week has a little over a week’s time to wait for the tug to arrive. The vessel was safely adrift at sea. Ithas electric power and is able to operate its thruster to maneuver if necessary. The ship was disabled after a fire and possible engine room explosion on April 28 approximately 354 nautical miles east of Bermuda. Three crewmembers were injured, with one receiving First Aid on the vessel while two others were evacuated to Bermuda. One was released after treatment in Bermuda while the other individual has now been transferred to a hospital in the United States. The Maersk company is monitoring the weather with a current forecast of calm seas meaning the vessel is in no immediate danger. It had started the return leg of a trip from Newark, New Jersey in the U.S. bound for Singapore. Maersk was working with the relevant authorities. The U.S. Coast Guard listed that the vessel underwent a standard inspection on April 16 in Charleston, South Carolina. No deficiencies were identified.