Salvage teams are continuing firefighting operations aboard two container ships, HMM Platinum and Espirito Santo Express, following separate fire incidents in waters near South Africa and the South Atlantic Ocean. As of October 23, 2026, efforts remained focused on extinguishing the fires, stabilizing the vessels, and assessing their conditions before further recovery operations.

According to HMM, firefighting operations aboard HMM Platinum have reached the final cooling and monitoring stage. All 24 crew members are reported safe. The vessel, carrying approximately 2,300 TEUs, remains offshore near South Africa after adverse weather conditions prevented it from proceeding to port. Tugboats are reportedly standing by as a precaution while authorities and salvage personnel assess the situation.

Meanwhile, salvage teams have reached Espirito Santo Express, which was abandoned by its crew on October 15 following a major fire in the South Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,000 miles from Brazil. Vessel owner Seaspan reported that smoke and flames were observed coming from cargo in a bay forward of the accommodation block. Firefighting and stabilization operations are currently underway.

The vessel\'s charterer, Hapag-Lloyd, informed customers that the extent of damage to the ship and its cargo remains under assessment. No confirmed schedule has been announced for completing the salvage operations. Both incidents highlight the operational challenges of fighting container ship fires at sea, particularly when vessels are far from ports and emergency response facilities.