The vessel’s main engine failed, but neither the ship nor the crew are currently considered to be in danger, according to the Iceland-headquartered shipowner
A 2,150-TEU container vessel, part of Icelandic container shipping and coastal shipping line Eimskip’s fleet, is adrift in the North Atlantic after the vessel lost power.
According to an update from the shipowner on 9 July, the vessel was on its way from Reykjavík, Iceland, to Nuuk in Greenland when it encountered engine problems.
“A failure occurred in the main engine of Eimskip’s vessel Dettifoss today. The vessel is adrift 628 km southwest of Iceland,” a statement on Eimskip’s website said.
The shipowner said the Icelandic coast guard vessel Freyja was mobilised and is en route to tow Dettifoss to port in Reykjavík.
“The vessel and crew are not considered to be in danger, and the weather in the area is calm,” Eimskip said.
The Icelandic Coast Guard told Riviera that the coast guard vessel is expected to reach container ship Dettifoss “at around midnight tonight” and confirmed that the current plan is to tow the ship back to Reykjavik.
The coast guard said the towing operation is estimated to take around three days.
The vessel is carrying goods bound for Greenland, and Eimskip said that once the vessel arrives in Reykjavík, “repairs are expected to be completed promptly, and Dettifoss is expected to resume its schedule next week”.
Eimskip currently operates 16 vessels, eight owned and eight chartered. Fourteen vessels are used in scheduled liner services on six different sailing routes. Ten are container vessels, four are reefer vessels, and two are ferries operated in Iceland.
