The 13,100TEU container ship Maersk Eureka has suffered a damaged fuel pump, which led the crew to stop the main engine of the vessel in order to replace the pump on 12 March. Two days later, the main engine had to be stopped again for further investigations.

It is expected that the engine will be repaired by service technician crew with parts arriving onboard on 28 March via an ocean-going tug. The Danish shipping company said repairs will take place at sea and are expected to continue through to 31 March.

“At this point we know that the engine remains off in order to reduce further impact,” said Maersk in its announcement, adding that there have been no containers lost or damaged and all reefers are on-power.

The company added that it expects higher winds in the next three-five days, but the carrier has contingency plans in place such as continuous checks on lashing and a tug will remain on stand-by to prevent any cargo loss, said Maersk.

While the ship was previously delayed arriving into Long Beach due to an inducement call in Japan, the vessel is expected to incur a further 15-20 day delay due to repairs, according to a statement, but estimated arrivals in Long Beach are still being calculated and berthing is currently determined based on arrival at anchorage due to severe congestion in Southern California.