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| 10 July 1999 In the Mediterranean, the container vessel Djakarta - with each of its many containers holding goods worth up to US$200,000 - is shaken by two violent explosions that lead to a massive fire in the cargo holds. After unsuccessfully fighting the fire for seven hours, the crew abandons ship.
11 July 1999 The Djakarta has now drifted 125 miles south of Crete, its precise location unknown.
12 July 1999
 13 July 1999 The Matsas Star locates Djakarta, grounded on the Egyptian coast near a naval base and one of Egypt's best tourist beaches. The Egyptian authorities give Smit Tak a permit to work in the area for 21 days. The Smit Tak team on the Maridive 6 finally arrive on the scene at 9pm.
14 July 1999 The Matsas Star hoses down Djakarta's port side to cool it, while the Smit Tak firefighters board the starboard side - the heart of the fire. They make an inspection, starting at the rear where most of the damage has occurred. The team discovers that there are fires in Holds 4 and 5 as well as in a stack of containers above Hold 3. They also realise that they must cool down the combustible engine room behind Hold 5 and other areas - otherwise they will lose the ship.
 Reconstruction of fire in the holds The firefighters also locate the plans of the ship and send them to Captain Hoekstra on the Maridive 6. This will greatly aid planning the rescue, but he still doesn't know where the dangerous cargo is. The firefighters spray the burning containers, as well as under them to cool the existing hatches. The bulk head between Hold 5 and the engine room is extremely hot, so they direct water on to that, too.
 Firefighters spraying the burning containers The Egyptians order the Matsas Star to go to another port for a work permit. This is a blow to the Smik Tak team since the Matsas Star is the only one of their ships strong enough to tow Djakarta off the rocks and back into the control of its owners. The Maridive 6 moves so that hoses can get water into Hold 5. To do this, it has to manoeuvre beneath some damaged containers hanging precariously over the edge.
 Damaged containers hang over side of ship That night, the firefighters remain on Djakarta, grabbing what sleep they can. On the Maridive 6, two teams take it in turns to keep water spraying on Djakarta.
15 July 1999 An incomplete ship's manifest finally arrives from the owners. Captain Hoekstra now knows that a dangerous chemical - aluminium phosphide - is located right at the front of Djakarta, over Holds 1 and 2. However, since the manifest is incomplete, it is not impossible for other dangerous chemicals to be elsewhere on the ship. The Smit Tak team can't wait for confirmation: they must tackle the remaining fire over Hold 3 from inside the containers. Luckily they don't encounter any dangerous chemicals. The Egyptian navy insists on spraying the front of Djakarta, just where the aluminium phosphide is stored. Captain Hoekstra demands that the spraying be stopped: vapour created by mixing the chemical with water could kill the entire local population. The Egyptians comply but demand a meeting. A high-level military delegation arrives at 10pm on the Maridive 6. The meeting has a positive outcome, and it also appears that the Egyptians no longer intend to take over the salvage. In fact, they seem more concerned about the pollution of the area.
16 July 1999
 Cargo of noodles Four weeks later Djakarta is finally floated off the rocks by the Matsas Star and out of Egyptian waters. The owners had to pay the Egyptian authorities more than US$2 million to release the vessel. Djakarta is towed to the Croatian port of Rijeka where it will be repaired and refitted, including the entire replacement of the ship's mid-section. A fire investigator discovers that in two of the containers was a substance that was the only part of the cargo capable of initiating a fire and providing material for an explosion. This substance is bleaching powder made of calcium hyperchloride, a very reactive chemical. It must be responsible for the disaster. Smit Tak will not receive their salvage award until they have negotiated for many months. But the award could amount to even more than the Egyptians received.
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