Maersk-Stepnica Ship Details and Seafarer Feedback

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is currently engaged in a thorough investigation to locate the vessel responsible for a concerning situation involving pharmaceutical bottles washing up along the eastern coastline of South Africa. This incident affects areas stretching from Gqeberha to various northeastern towns along the picturesque Indian Ocean. SAMSA is collaborating with an Incident Management Systems (IMS) committee, which includes key stakeholders such as the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, South African Police Service (SAPS), Eastern Cape Disaster Management, and the South African Health Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). Over the past week, a significant number of medicinal products have been collected from South Africa's Sunshine Coast. This follows the loss of nearly 200 containers from several cargo vessels, including the 'CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin', 'CMA CGM Belem', 'Maersk Stepnica', 'Rio Grande Express', and 'MSC Antonia', within an eight-week period beginning in July 2024. In addition to pinpointing the specific ship from which these pharmaceutical goods may have originated, SAMSA is actively monitoring the coastline in partnership with local authorities to detect any further hazards or items that could wash ashore. Since September 9, reports have surfaced about pharmaceutical bottles containing pills appearing in the areas surrounding Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks, and Boknes. SAMSA is diligently working to mitigate any potential risks stemming from this incident. Meanwhile, the owners of the implicated vessels are fully cooperating with SAMSA and other authorities, assuring their commitment to the clean-up operations along the coastline in the event of contamination or additional cargo losses. For more details and visual updates, visit the report at https://blog.samsa.org.za/2024/09/12/mop-up-underway-of-containers-and-pharmaceutical-bottles-found-on-the-south-african-eastern-coastline-samsa/

On January 10, the cargo vessel 'Maersk Stepnica' departed from Trinity Terminal in Felixstowe, setting its course for Zeebrugge with an estimated arrival time of 7 p.m. Earlier, on January 6, the ship, carrying a crew of 22, reported the loss of 33 containers filled with non-hazardous goods while navigating through stormy seas approximately 120 miles off Penmarc'h in the Bay of Biscay. Fortunately, the vessel continued its journey to Felixstowe without sustaining any further damage. In response to the incident, an urgent notice was issued to mariners by the maritime prefecture of the Atlantic. On January 7, the French Navy dispatched a Falcon 50 and a customs aircraft from Lann Bihoué to locate the containers. During these surveillance flights, one container was sighted that posed a potential navigation hazard. Coordination efforts on January 8 led to its relocation and tagging by a team aboard a Cayman NH90 helicopter, operating from Lanvéoc Poulmic. Subsequently, on January 9 at 9:45 a.m., the 'Argonaute' set sail from Brest with a specialized team of French Navy divers and successfully reached the site. Just one hour later, the team retrieved the container, and the marking tag was recovered. The 'Argonaute' completed its return to Brest around midnight, marking a successful recovery operation amidst challenging weather conditions.

On January 7, 2014, at 7:20 PM, the 'Maersk Stepnica' arrived at the Felixstowe Trinity Terminal, specifically at berth 6, after facing significant challenges at sea. During a fierce storm known as Hercules while sailing through the Bay of Biscay, the vessel suffered severe damage, particularly to its cargo stowed aft of the bridge, resulting in the loss of 32 to 33 loaded containers. Additionally, a multitude of other containers toppled over to starboard, sustaining partial crushing. Maersk Line had projected a three-day timeline to manage and rectify this situation, with departure initially scheduled for January 10 at 7 PM. However, given that there remained approximately 2,700 operations left to conduct, it became apparent that more time may be needed to properly address the extensive damage. By January 8, all containers located aft of the bridge had been cleared, paving the way for engineers to initiate the salvage process. The 'Maersk Stepnica' had set sail from Tanjung East on December 20, 2013, and this incident highlights the often unpredictable challenges faced by container vessels operating in adverse weather conditions. To view images of the incident, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32755955@N05/11840351615/lightbox/ or http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1953722.