The fire on board the container ship Sea Elegance, lying off Durban, was probably caused by an explosion in a container of undeclared hazardous cargo said the South African Maritime Safety Authority.
It appears that the crew of the Singapore-based container ship had been unaware they were carrying such a dangerous cargo.
The fire started on Saturday and is still smouldering, but under control.
The fire started in a container in the lower part of the hold. We're convinced it was caused by an explosion of hazardous cargo that was not properly declared," said a Safety Authority spokesman.
The container held tons of calcium hypochlorite, classed as Category 5 in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods code. It is liable to decompose at higher temperatures and to cause a fire or an explosion. The container was stored between the engine room bulkhead and next to a herbicide, Atrazine. When the container exploded, it may have opened up the Atrazine container, which is highly volatile. There were also rolls of paper, tyres and plastic in an adjacent hold.
A Sri Lankan crewmember is missing and presumed dead. The other 23 crew have been accounted for and believed safe.
The ship is at anchor off Durban, attended by Smit Marine's John Ross tug. The vessel will not be allowed into port until the authorities are satisfied that it poses no risk.
