Mega Cargo Ship, MV Marie Maersk Engulfed In Flames Off West African Coast!

Dramatic scenes unfold as the colossal 2013-built Triple-E class vessel Marie Maersk, carrying a staggering 19,076 containers, catches fire near Liberia. Smoke was first detected early on August 13 while en route from Rotterdam to Malaysia, sparking a high-stakes battle against the blaze.

Though all crew remain safe and onboard, firefighting crews and Dutch salvage experts from Smit have rushed to the scene, deploying tugboats to control the growing inferno. The massive ship, now diverted to the Liberian coast for urgent support, remains stable—but the scale of damage to cargo is still unknown.

The Marie Maersk is reported to be on fire off the West African coast with Dutch salvage company Smit engaged to assist the vessel.

The 2013-built Triple-E class vessel, capable of loading 19,076 teu departed from Rotterdam on 4 August and is currently thought to be off the coast of Liberia.

A Maersk statement confirmed: “On the morning of 13 August 2025, the crew of the Marie Maersk detected smoke coming from containers onboard the vessel en route from Rotterdam, The Netherlands to Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia.”

Maersk said that all the crew are safe and remain on board the vessel following firefighting procedures and attempting to keep the fire under control. The vessel is said to be stable.

Firefighting tugboats have been deployed and are heading towards the stricken ship.

Marie Maersk was diverted towards the Liberian coast with a view to getting landside support to the vessel as quickly as possible.

“We remain in constant touch with the vessel crew and offer them all possible support. We cannot confirm the extent of the fire’s impact on the cargo yet,” added a Maersk spokesman.