HMM PLATINUM fire enters final stage after 17 days

HMM describes the fire aboard its containership PLATINUM as in the "final dampening-down stage" after 17 days of active firefighting at sea. The blaze broke out on 7 October 2026 while the 5,023-TEU ship was sailing from Kattupalli, India to Santos, Brazil.

Salvage contractor SMIT was brought in under Lloyd's Open Form terms and the ship has been escorted by a tug. About 2,300 containers are on board. Seventeen days of saltwater, CO2 and firefighting foam. Port authorities are working out whether to bring the ship into Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) or Durban; congestion at Durban has made Gqeberha the preferred option. Once fire is fully out and the ship reaches port, cargo owners will need to post salvage security (and likely General Average bonds) before their goods can be forwarded or released.

HMM PLATINUM is one of two large container ships currently under salvage for onboard fires in the southern ocean. The fire is the second major container blaze to hit the Indian Ocean and South Atlantic region this month: Hapag-Lloyd's Espirito Santo Express caught fire in the South Atlantic on 16 October, forcing all 25 crew to abandon ship.