COLOMBO: A missing Filipino crewman from a supertanker that caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka is presumed dead, a spokesman for the Indian Ocean nation’s navy said Friday.
The fire continued to burn on the New Diamond tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, said the spokeswoman, Captain Indika de Silva. There were 23 crew members on board.
The fire that broke out in the engine room Thursday morning had spread to the bridge of the ship, chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC).
“The missing Filipino sailor is presumed dead. He was seriously injured when a boiler exploded, ”de Silva told Reuters, citing the crew who were rescued.
There were 5 Greek and 18 Filipino nationals among the crew. One of them was injured and airlifted off the ship and the rest were accounted for.
The ship had sailed from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, loaded with Kuwait Export Crude, Refinitiv Eikon tracking data showed. It was heading to the Indian port of Paradip, where the state IOC has a 300,000 barrel-a-day refinery.
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