At least three people have died and three others were injured following an explosion aboard the MSC Kyparissia (IMO: 9618599), a Malta-registered container ship docked at Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) on 7 November. The blast occurred at approximately 12:23 PM local time, igniting a fire in the vessel’s under-hatch area of Block 5 while cargo operations were underway.
The Kyparissia, a 70,461 dwt container ship managed by Costamare and operating under time charter to Maersk, was discharging containers when the explosion occurred. The vessel, with a capacity of 4,957 TEU, had been serving routes connecting Onne, Cotonou, and Singapore.
Firefighters arrived seven minutes after the blast, as PTP’s firefighting units and tugboats attempted to contain the blaze before reinforcements from the State Fire and Rescue Department joined the effort. Operations Commander Mohamad Anuar Mohamad Amdzah confirmed that a forward control post was established and firefighting continued in coordination with port authorities.
According to Maersk, three individuals — including one crew member — lost their lives. Malaysian authorities identified the deceased as a 59-year-old Malaysian, a Filipino man, and a British national. The injured include one Malaysian and two Filipino workers, all hospitalized in Iskandar Puteri for treatment.
Maersk stated it remains unable to fully assess the extent of the damage to the vessel and cargo but is working closely with PTP, the vessel owner, and Costamare to manage the aftermath.
In a separate incident, another Maersk vessel, Laust Maersk (63,000 dwt, registered in Hong Kong), reported smoke in a cargo hold while off Charleston, South Carolina. The vessel, which had departed on 5 November for Cartagena, Colombia, returned to anchorage for inspection the following day. No injuries were reported, and Maersk confirmed the ship remains stable pending safety clearance.
These incidents add to a growing list of container ship fires this year. In August, Maersk’s Marie Maersk experienced a cargo fire off West Africa, and Wan Hai continues salvage work on a vessel lost to fire off India that claimed four lives. According to insurer Allianz Commercial’s 2025 report, misdeclared cargoes remain the leading cause of onboard fires, representing one of the maritime industry’s most pressing safety challenges.
