Cargo ship towed to Singapore after fire now undergoing repairs
The MV MSC Messina reported the fire on its way to the Malacca Strait. (Photo: AFP)
SINGAPORE: The cargo ship that was towed to Singapore after an engine room fire is now undergoing repairs, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Saturday (Jul 10).
The fire occurred on Jun 25 in the Bay of Bengal while the Liberia-registered MSC Messina was en route from Sri Lanka to Singapore.
After the fire was put out, the MSC Messina was towed to Singapore and arrived on Jul 6 where its containers were offloaded.
"MPA also facilitated the repatriation of the body of a deceased crew member to his country of domicile," the authority said.
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Six members of the ship crew are currently serving their 14-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility. They will return to the ship upon serving their notice and testing negative for COVID-19, and will be placed on rostered routine testing, MPA said.
Arrangements have been made for other crew members to return home.
The MSC Messina is the second ship to catch fire in the Indian Ocean in recent weeks, after the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl went up in flames and sank off Colombo in June.
The MV X-Press Pearl was carrying large quantities of chemicals and plastics and the accident has caused extensive damage to Sri Lanka's marine ecosystem.
