Emma makes Palermo

The 15,500-teu Emma Maersk (built 2006) arrived at Fincantieri’s repair yard in Palermo, Sicily on Monday according to Fairmount Marine.

The ship left Port Said in Egypt on Sunday February 17 under the tow of the tug Fairmount Alpine for the 1,300 mile voyage.

On 1 February the Emma Maersk’s engine room flooded during a Suez Canal transit with the cause linked to the failure of stern thruster propeller blades, which cracked steelwork, damaging the watertight integrity of the ship.

At the time of the incident the Fairmount Alpine just happened to be in the eastern Mediterranean area and was promptly mobilized to Port Said.

Immediate repairs to the ship were carried out in Port Said, but the full extent of damage to the engines will now be assessed once the ship has been drydocked.

Earlier this month Maersk Line’s head of ship management, Palle Laursen, said the once the ship gets to the repair facility it will still be several months before repairs are completed.

Maersk Line says that it has been able to reorganise its fleet without chartering replacement tonnage for the damaged ship.

The 9,660-teu 48Y-Butterfly is replacing Emma Maersk on the AE10 Asia-Europe service until she is ready to re-enter service.

TradeWinds recently reported that the engine room flooding is expected to not only hit hull, cargo and P&I but also impact on reinsurers.

The ship’s underwriters are said to be steeling themselves for a big insurance claim despite Maersk retaining a substantial amount of hull risk since the start of last year.

The insurance market is anticipating a big general average claim, although this has not yet been declared.

The Emma Maersk has P&I and freight, demurrage and defence cover from the Britannia Club.