Fire-Damaged 72,255-GT Car Carrier Sees Temperature Rise In Panama Waters

The fire-damaged Min Jiang Kou remains in Panamanian waters while salvage teams work to cool and stabilise the ship after temperatures rose in parts of its decks, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) said.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Ro-Ro vessel has no crew and is still in blackout condition, meaning it has no electrical power. Three tugboats are helping with the salvage work.

The rise in temperature was detected on the night of September 7. Higher temperatures were found in some areas of the ship’s decks. The reason for the temperature rise is still being checked.

Salvors are cooling the hull and working to keep the vessel stable.

The salvage company asked for the ship to enter Panamanian waters so it could carry out the work needed to stabilise the vessel.

The ship was about 600 nautical miles from Panama when it entered the country’s waters.

Earlier fire

The Min Jiang Kou suffered an engine-room fire on August 6, about 630 nautical miles south of Costa Rica.

The fire caused smoke to increase, and all 22 crew members abandoned the vessel. The US Coast Guard coordinated their rescue.

The ship was then left without a crew while salvage arrangements were made.

No environmental impact from the August fire has been reported.

The AMP is monitoring the ship and the salvage operation with the specialist company handling the case.

Once the ship is stable and the cooling work is finished, it is expected to be moved to a shipyard in Asia for repairs and further checks.

About the Min Jiang Kou

The Min Jiang Kou is a 72,255-GT vessel built in 2024. It is operated by COSCO Shipping Specialised Carriers and can carry about 7,500 vehicles.

The Ro-Ro vessel uses LNG dual-fuel technology and has 13 decks, including four rise-and-fall decks.

It can carry passenger cars, trucks and self-propelled engineering machinery.

References: destinopanama, worldcargonews