The 15,500-teu Emma Maersk (built 2006) left the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) on Sunday to as yet unnamed European destination.

“Immediate repairs to the Emma Maersk are being completed according to schedule,” Maersk Line said in a statement Friday.

“Weather permitting, Emma will be towed to a repair facility on 17 February 2013 at around 6am Egyptian time.”

“The full extent of damage to the engines will then be assessed and the work of restoring her back to full health will begin.”

Palle Laursen, Maersk Line’s Head of Ship Management in Copenhagen, says: “We are delighted that Emma is on the route back towards full service.”

“However, this only the beginning of a long journey – once she gets to the repair facility it will still be several months before repairs are completed.”

“The efforts of the crew, the local Maersk Line, SCCT, and Svitzer organisations and the underwater repair teams should be fully recognised in enabling this.”

On 1 February the engine room of the Emma Maersk was flooded during a Suez Canal transit with the cause linked to the failure of stern thruster propeller blades, which cracked steelwork, damaging the watertight integrity of the ship.

At the time of the incident, Maersk Line says she was loaded with containers equivalent to 13,537-teu of which 6,425 were full.

Maersk Line has said that it has been able to reorganise its fleet without chartering replacement tonnage for the damaged ship.

The 9,660 TEU 48Y-Butterfly will replace Emma Maersk on the AE10 Asia-Europe service until she is ready to re-enter service.

On Friday TradeWinds reported that the engine room flooding is expected to not only hit hull, cargo and P&I but also impact on reinsurers.

The ship’s underwriters are said to be steeling themselves for a big insurance claim despite Maersk retaining a substantial amount of hull risk since the start of last year.

The ship is likely to be out of service for a matter of months with the insurance market anticipating a big general average claim, although this has not yet been declared.

The Emma Maersk has P&I and freight, demurrage and defence cover from the Britannia Club.

More pictures of the Emma Maersk departing the Suez Canal can be found on Maersk Line's Facebook page, or by clicking on this link.