The container ship Yantain Express, suffered a container fire yesterday. Efforts to fight the fire were reportedly suspended due to weather.

The ship is a regular caller to Halifax on the EC5 Service and was due today at Fairview cove. That arrival has since been delayed. Hapag lloyd issued the following statement

The crew of 8 officers and 15 seafarers is unharmed. Efforts to extinguish the fire in the containers were launched immediately but have had to be suspended for the time being due to a significant deterioration of weather conditions.

The 7,510 TEU vessel, which is 320 meters long and sails under German flag in the East Coast Loop 5 (EC5) service, was built in 2002 and was on its way from Colombo to Halifax via the Suez Canal. At present, the ship is approximately 650 nautical miles off the coast of Canada.

It is still too early to make a precise estimate of any damage to the vessel or its cargo. Hapag-Lloyd is closely cooperating with all relevant authorities.

Updates will Follow as they are known

Original article: BREAKING: Fire on Halifax Bound Ship..