“Probably all undamaged containers will be on board” when the Hapag-Lloyd-owned ship departs from Freeport, which is expected to occur by early May.
The Yantian Express is expected to be ready to begin sailing in early May and call a Chinese repair yard in early August for final steel works, a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told American Shipper via email on Friday.
The Yantian Express was diverted to the Port of Freeport in the Bahamas for recovery work and damage assessment after it suffered a container fire in early January while en route from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Halifax, Nova Scotia via the Suez Canal. There were 3,785 containers on board the 7,510-TEU containership at the time of the incident, and 662 were discharged and “none yet reloaded,” the spokesperson said.
“Probably all undamaged containers will be on board” when the ship departs Freeport, according to the spokesperson.
Hapag-Lloyd announced in late March that all damaged containers had been discharged. General average was declared for the Yantian Express in late January, which includes containers that were discharged from affected areas and containers still on board, according to an April 17 update from Ocean Network Express.
Cargo will not be released until general average and salvage security has been received from those with cargo interests, ONE said, and cargo interests will be liable for all costs and charges associated with their cargo.
“Failure from any of the cargo interests to post Security may possibly cause further delay or ultimately risk jeopardizing the overall rescue plan,” reads the advisory. “Therefore, we appreciate all cargo interests’ immediate attention and action.”
Repairs have mainly been focused on the Yantian Express’ foredeck. Repair work has included tightening hatch covers and making them water tight, fixing the bilge pump system and cleaning the vessel from residues. There is still some steel work remaining, including the replacement of temporary wirings with permanent ones, the spokesperson explained.
“Once works are finalized and class is confirmed, vessel is ready to return to service,” according to the spokesperson.