The ship carrying 270,000 metric tons of crude oil from Kuwait to India caught fire on Thursday.
New Delhi:
The fire on board the MT New Diamond tanker has been “successfully contained” with the help of India, the Sri Lankan Navy said today, adding that the ship has been towed deep into the sea away from land.
“The fire aboard the MT New Diamond has been successfully contained to a greater extent. As a result of the combined operation, the unfortunate tanker has been secured from all sides.” the Lankan Navy said in a press release.
The tanker is currently 70km off the coast of Sri Lanka and is being escorted by INS Sahyadri, according to the latest update from the Indian Navy.
The ship carrying 270,000 metric tons of crude oil from Kuwait to India caught fire on Thursday.
#CLOCK INS scene commander Sahyadri escorts Sri Lankan tanker MT New Diamond and monitors the situation. The ship has been towed 70 km off the coast of Sri Lanka. Tug Alp Winger will deliver the trailer to Tug TTT1 and join the firefighting efforts. pic.twitter.com/LHkLKjz80Z
– ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2020
The Indian ships entered service after the Lankan Navy sought help to control a fire aboard the tanker off the coast of Sangamankanda in the eastern Ampara district.
The disaster relief operation was joined by the Indian Coast Guard (ICGS) vessel Sarang, ICGS Sujay, TTT One, a tugboat equipped with professional firefighting and firefighting equipment, and 02 Dornier aircraft from the Indian Coast Guard since the night before, according to the statement.
The tanker had 23 crew members: 18 Filipinos and five Greeks. Twenty-two of the 23 crew members had been safely rescued from the tanker: a Filipino sailor was killed in the boiler explosion in the engine room.
The continuous cooling effect during the relief operation has controlled the spread of the fire, the Sri Lankan Navy said, adding that so far there is no risk of an oil spill.
With PTI inputs
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