Bulker officer missing after rescuing 28 from burning boxship

The chief officer of a Portuguese-flagged bulk carrier is missing after being swept overboard during a dramatic operation that rescued all 28 seafarers from a burning 11,800 teu containership in the South Atlantic.

Portuguese maritime accident investigators have opened an investigation into the casualty aboard the Aeolian Arrow, which responded to a distress call from the Singapore-flagged Espirito Santo Express on October 15.

The Seaspan-owned, Hapag-Lloyd-chartered containership had suffered a serious fire while sailing from Singapore towards Santos, Brazil.

The Aeolian Arrow launched its rescue boat in heavy seas, recovering 19 crew members from a lifeboat and another nine from a life raft.

However, as the bulker’s rescue boat was being recovered, its chief officer fell into the sea.

Portugal’s Maritime Accident Investigation Office (GAMA) said the officer was initially spotted alive, but repeated attempts to recover him were unsuccessful before he disappeared from sight.

The authority has classified the incident as a very serious maritime casualty.

The 330 m Espirito Santo Express, built in 2018 and capable of carrying approximately 11,900 teu, was subsequently left abandoned and drifting in the South Atlantic.

Claims specialist W.E. Cox reported yesterday that professional salvors SMIT had been contracted under Lloyd’s Open Form terms to respond to the casualty.

Hapag-Lloyd and fellow service operator Ocean Network Express have confirmed the containership’s crew survived, while warning that the impact on cargo and vessel operations remains under assessment.

The cause of the fire has not been established.

The incident comes less than two weeks after another major containership blaze aboard the HMM Platinum, adding to growing concerns about the risks posed by serious fires at sea.

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