Casualty News

MAERSK LANCO

Date
September 4, 2026

Type
Fire

Reports have been received that MAERSK LANCO experienced a fire in the South Atlantic Ocean, approximately 170 miles off the coast of Brazil, on 4 September 2026. The vessel had 26 crew members on board and was en route from Santos, Brazil to Tanger Med, Morocco.

It is understood that nearby vessels were requested to assist, with the bulk carrier MAZOWSZE, fishing vessel KESTREL and containership WIELAND reported to have diverted to the scene. The origin and extent of the fire were initially under assessment.

More recent information issued by CMA CGM on 10 September 2026 states that MAERSK LANCO suffered engine damage and was unable to continue to Tanger Med as planned. The vessel proceeded towards Salvador, Brazil for further inspection and necessary repairs. The latest publicly available movement information records that MAERSK LANCO entered Salvador and anchored there on 11 September 2026.

The vessel’s last port of call before the casualty was Santos, Brazil, from where she departed on 1 September 2026. Her next scheduled port was Tanger Med, Morocco, followed by Southampton, Rotterdam and Hamburg.

The extent of any damage to cargo on board is presently unknown. As well as cargo damage, it is likely that claims for salvage and General Average will arise as a result of this incident.

Dolphin Maritime has many years of experience dealing with claims arising from containership fires and major marine casualties.

If you are the insurers of cargo on board this vessel and require assistance with any claims arising, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We can assist with:

• Arranging cargo damage surveys
• Investigating the cause of the incident
• Provision of Average Guarantees
• Provision of Salvage Guarantees (from a premium of 0.50% of the guarantee amount)
• Recovery of losses on NO CURE NO PAY terms
• Defence of General Average claims on NO CURE NO PAY terms
• Representing cargo insurers in relation to Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) salvage claims

Photo credit: https://www.marinetraffic.com/