Oil Tanker Fire Near Sri Lanka Coast “Under Control”, Vessel Towed Away

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) stated late Friday that the fire had actually been brought “under control”

Colombo:

Tugboats fought into the night Friday to stop a blazing oil tanker bring 270,000 tonnes of crude from wandering towards the Sri Lankan coast.

The fire on the Panamanian-registered New Diamond had actually been brought under control, according to the Indian coastguard. Smoke was still putting from the 330 metre (1,000 foot) long vessel after an engine-room surge set off the emergency situation.

The New Diamond was heading for the eastern Indian port of Paradip from Kuwait when it provided a call for help 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Sri Lanka’s east coast.

#ICG & Sri Lankan ships and airplane alongwith pull ALP Winger after combined efforts effectively pulled #MTNewDiamond more than 35 NM far from #SriLanka coast to safe waters. #FireFighting continues and fire now decreased. No oil slick reported. pic.twitter.com/bvbnd1fLtw

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) September 5, 2020

With one Filipino team member eliminated in the surge and the 22 others removed, the tanker wandered 25 km closer to the coast on Friday.

Three tugboats– 2 Indian and one chartered by the owners– were brought into action in a quote to press the vessel back into much deeper waters at sea.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) stated late Friday that the fire had actually been brought “under control” through a “huge firefighting effort” by its vessels with the Indian navy and ships and airplane from the Sri Lankan armed force.

Water and foam cannons were utilized to smother the flames, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre chief Sudantha Ranasinghe stated.

” The flames on the bridge and outside the engine have actually been put out,” Ranasinghe informed AFP prior to the Indian coast guard statement. He stated fires were still burning inside the ship.

Ranasinghe stated the blaze had actually not infected the huge unrefined freight and 1,700 tonnes of diesel fuel.

The Sri Lankan navy stated there was no instant risk of the tanker separating, regardless of reports of a two-metre (six-foot) fracture in the hull above the water line.

Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna stated the metal had actually split in the extreme heat as the ship’s diesel fuel tanks burned when the fire spread from the adjacent engine space.

The emergency situation came simply a week after a substantial oil slick struck the Mauritius coast.

” It will take another 4 to 5 days to entirely put out the fire,” Jayarathna stated. “Thereafter we must have the ability to tow it away and let the owners choose what they wish to do.”

The head of Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Agency Dharshani Lahandapura stated legal action might be taken versus the owners, Liberian-registered Porto Emporios Shipping Inc “must the worst occur and the ship separates.”

Lahandapura informed press reporters that Sri Lanka did not have the resources to include a significant oil spill.

But Ranasinghe stated authorities were thinking about a ship-to-ship transfer of the crude prior to restoring the tanker.

Maldives fears catastrophe

The vessel is bigger than the Japanese bulk provider MV Wakashio, which crashed into a reef in Mauritius in July dripping more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island country’s beautiful waters.

Sri Lanka’s neighbour Maldives has actually raised issues that any oil spill from the New Diamond might trigger severe ecological damage in the atoll of 1,192 coral islands that depends upon fisheries and tourist.

Maldivian minister at the president’s workplace, Ahmed Naseem, required preventive procedures throughout the island chain that has to do with 1,000 kilometres southwest of Sri Lanka.

” Maldives requires to see this oil spill thoroughly and take all safety measures to avoid it from reaching her coasts,” Naseem stated on Twitter. “This might be a significant catastrophe.”

( Except for the heading, this story has actually not been modified by NDTV personnel and is released from a syndicated feed.)

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