Emma Maersk out of action for 3 months, boxes undamaged by flooding

MAERSK LINE's flagship, the 15,500-TEU Emma Maersk, is expected to be out of service for three months after its engine room flooded in 16 metres of water, causing the vessel to be towed from the main channel of the Suez Canal.

Once the damaged thruster has been sealed, containers will removed, giving Maersk time to carry out repairs, said a company spokesman.

The vessel could stay in Egypt for the repairs, though the final decision over whether a drydock is needed has yet to be made, reported London's Containerisation International. Water must be pumped out slowly, with experts on hand to deal with exposed machinery.

Dismantling, drying and repairing almost every piece of machinery under water will take months to complete, particularly the giant Wartsila engine and the long propeller shaft that sits at the lowest part of the vessel, said the report.In previous instances of flooded ships, it has been possible to repair the engine, the propeller shaft, ancillary machinery and electronics, if corrosion is kept to a minimum, said the report.

 The first job is to seal the stern thruster where the water intake occurred. Emma Maersk has double sets of fore and aft Rolls Royce thrusters to assist in berthing. Maersk Line vice-president ship management Palle Laursen said that with the cause of the accident unknown, the company is warning its other ships not to use stern thrusters.

Divers inspecting the ship's hull and found a 20 centimetre by 30 centimetre hole in the shape of a half circle damage near a forward thruster. Mr Laursen said the damage was probably caused while the thrusters were manoeuvring the vessel towards the Suez Canal. The thruster spaces are accessed via Emma Maersk's 120-metre main propeller shaft tunnel, which opens to the engine room.After a bilge alarm sounded, it took only an hour for the engine room to be flooded, covering the main engine. The 13-man crew worked the bilge system, but it was just not enough. There was no significant flooding of the cargo holds and containers aboard were not damaged, he said.