Фото: Dreamstime.com
HMM has declared general average following the fire aboard the HMM Platinum, generating a slew of new hurdles for cargo owners, with the carrier still seeking a port of refuge for the vessel, which has spent the past month anchored off the South African coast.
Korhi Average Adjusters & Surveyors have been appointed to handle the adjustment for the 5,593 teu containership, with Korhi and Richards Hogg Lindley responsible for collecting general average security.
Those with cargo aboard will be required to provide salvage security and general average security before shipments can be forwarded or released, while uninsured cargo owners will be required to provide cash deposits, although the amounts have yet to be determined.
Given the extent of cargo damage and timetable for discharging containers remains unclear, the requirements add more uncertainty for forwarders and their customers with shipments aboard the vessel.
Fire broke out aboard the Liberian-flagged vessel on 6 October, while sailing from Kattupalli to Santos, with reports claiming that the blaze originated in a container while the ship was off Madagascar’s southern coast, with some 2,300 boxes aboard.
Salvage specialist SMIT was appointed under a Lloyd’s Open Form agreement, while the vessel diverted towards South Africa but finding a suitable port of refuge has proved complicated.
Ngqura has been identified as a possible destination, with Transnet National Ports Authority reportedly considering a request for the vessel to enter, but AIS data from Wingo Marine on 9 November placed the ship at anchor around 29km north-east of Durban.