On July 28, a major fire broke out aboard the large container vessel STRATFORD (IMO: 9305491), sailing under the Liberian flag, approximately 190 nautical miles northwest of Yongshu Reef in Nansha, China. The fire spread rapidly, trapping 25 foreign crew members onboard. The incident posed a dual threat to the vessel’s navigational safety and the flow of international shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

After receiving the report, the Hainan Maritime Search and Rescue Center promptly activated its emergency response mechanism and coordinated multiple agencies for swift action. By the night of July 29, after continuous firefighting efforts, the main blaze was largely extinguished. However, smoldering remained a risk inside some containers. The rescue teams continued spraying water to cool the area and injected water into key cargo holds to prevent reignition.

By the evening of August 1, following multiple rounds of inspections confirming no further risk of fire, the emergency operation was declared a success. All 25 crew members (including the captain, chief officer, and other key personnel) were safely rescued and reported to be in stable physical condition.

The STRATFORD is a large container ship with a capacity of 8,533 TEU, built in 2006. It operates on the China–India CIX service and was on voyage 138W (OOCL service code) at the time of the incident.

• Shipowner: Oltmann D GmbH & Co KG, Germany

• Ship Management Company: CPO Containerschiffreederei

• P&I Club: Skuld

Chinese Ports of Call: Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shekou

International Ports of Call: Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Pipavav

Additionally, based on available records, the STRATFORD may have carried cargo for several vessel-sharing partners, including COSCO, CMA CGM, PIL, OOCL, ZIM, GSL, and CNC.