The Liberian-flagged containership MSC Giada III has reported to be exploded while passing through the Gulf of Finland, near Neva Bay, while on the journey from Belgium to St. Petersburg, Russia. All crew members are safe and no environmental risks reported.
According to Russian media, the accident occured on the evening of February 5. The engine room exploded, starting a fire that eventually spread to the deck superstructure. The rescue vessel Spasatel Karev and the icebreaker Semyon Dezhnev were sent from the port of St. Petersburg to help respond to the incident.
The fire was put out on board the ship after many hours of battling. No casualties were recorded, and all 22 crew members – including a Russian captain and citizens of Myanmar – were safely evacuated. There was no recorded pollution or fuel spill in the vicinity, and the containership’s hull was undamaged.
The MSC Giada III was towed to the port of St. Petersburg after the incident, where the extent of the damage is being assessed. The containership MSC Giada was constructed in 2002 and is managed by MSC. The vessel’s dimensions are 32.26 meters in breadth and 210.93 meters in length.
