On August 18 local time, the large containership CMA CGM J. MADISON, operated by CMA CGM, experienced a fire while en route from Singapore to Khalifa Port, UAE, in the waters near the Malacca Strait.

It is reported that the incident occurred less than 24 hours after the vessel’s departure from Singapore. To ensure the safety of the ship and crew, the CMA CGM J. MADISON turned back and headed toward Port Klang, Malaysia—the nearest port to the incident site—to seek firefighting assistance.

As of 2:00 PM on August 21, the vessel remained anchored outside Port Klang.

According to shipping schedule data, the CMA CGM J. MADISON shares space with other carriers, including COSCO, OOCL, and Evergreen.

The vessel is scheduled to arrive at Port Klang on the morning of August 22 for a full assessment of the fire damage. The incident is expected to severely impact its subsequent calls at key Middle Eastern ports such as Mina Khalifa/Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Hamad, and Dammam, significantly disrupting scheduled arrivals.

The CMA CGM J. MADISON (IMO 9780897, MMSI 215137000) is a 366-meter-long, 48-meter-wide containership built in 2018 and currently sails under the flag of Malta.