Dear Valued Customers,
Please take notice of the below pasted customer advisory issued by Shipowner, Hapag Lloyd in connection with the Yantian Express v. 108E incident.
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Further to our prior CustomerInfo, please be advised that the YANTIAN EXPRESS is currently alongside a berth in Freeport Bahamas. We remain in the process of diligently addressing all of the safety, logistical, operational, and other aspects arising from this casualty, and are pleased to report that significant headway has been made in that regard.
Preparations have been underway with the local authorities, salvers and other interested parties to arrange for the discharge of all containers in the forward most portion of the vessel, in which the fire occurred. In that regard, please note that Richards Hogg Lindley (RHL) as General Average and Salvage Adjusters have provided the following update on their website:
5 February 2019
Based on his initial attendance, the GA Surveyor has identified 198 containers that were most likely a total loss due to the fire. He has also identified an additional 460 containers that were stored in the affected area that require inspection.
The two lists can be downloaded from the links below. Present indications are that the balance of cargo not shown in these schedules will not be damaged.
Door end inspections of the 460 containers will take place in Freeport, but we do not know at this stage when discharge operations or surveys will begin. We suggest that surveyors representing any of these 460 containers get in touch with the GA Surveyor, Mr Gianluca Rolff of TMC. His email address is gr@tmcmarine.com
A list of all likely total loss and possibly damaged containers may also be found on the RHL website: [https://rhlclientarea.ctplc.com/ Password: YE119GA]
Please note that if your container does not appear on the RHL lists referenced above, then it is strongly likely that it was not impacted by the fire and therefore any such container will not be inspected in Freeport. The cargo in the 198 containers that has been determined by RHL to most likely be a total loss will not be inspected and sent for destruction once off loaded from the vessel. However, if your container does appear on the list of the 460 containers for which a door end inspection is required, please coordinate with Mr Gianluca Rolff of RHL (see email address above).
We are in the process of formulating protocols for inspection as to the 460 containers designated by RHL, which will be distributed shortly.
Finally, for planning purposes it is unlikely that discharge of the containers referenced above will commence before the second half of this week and we will keep you advised of scheduling through further CustomerInfos.
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As a reminder, all cargo interests must comply with general average requirements before securing release of their shipments. In the event that you have any questions regarding the provision of the required security, we invite you to get in touch with Richards Hogg Lindley [https://rhlclientarea.ctplc.com/ Password: YE119GA] directly .
We regret the inconvenience caused by the incident. Should you have any questions, please contact Yang Ming local offices or your sales representatives.
Thanks and Regards,
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation