The 15,262 TEU Maersk Honam which suffered a serious fire onboard last March is to be rebuilt at the Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea.

According to Maersk, the vessel was moved to the Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates for inspection and discharge operations in June 2018 and has now been cut into two sections at Drydocks World’s Dubai facility.

The sound, 228.5-metre section from midship to stern will be transported by the heavy-lift vessel Xin Guan Hua to South Korea in March 2019. The rebuilt vessel, with a new forward section, is expected to resume service in the second half of the year.

The damaged forward section will be cleaned and recycled. Maersk is investigating and evaluating the relevant recycling options.

Maersk Honam was enroute from Singapore to Suez in the Arabian Sea when it reported a serious fire in one of its cargo holds on March 6, 2018. Five of the 27 crew members onboard lost their lives.