- A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka.
- One seafarer died in the explosion, while 22 of the 23 crew onboard rescued.
- Flames had spread to the New Diamond’s bridge, but there was no damage to the cargo area.
- One Philippine national was injured and another was missing following the fire.
- Two Russian anti-submarine ships and four Indian ships were assisting in the operation.
Blaze breaks out again on oil tanker off Sri Lanka, cargo area intact, write Arjuna Ranawana and Nidhi Verma for Reuters.
What happened?
A fresh fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka.
“The fire happened at 7.45 a.m. India time,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The nature is explosion and fire and serious injury to the crew.”
Cargo safe
Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said flames had spread to the New Diamond’s bridge, but there was no damage to the cargo area.
“We will need an international effort,” de Silva said.
Authorities take action
Authorities “are taking steps to mitigate and manage the risk of possible oil spills in future due to this disaster,” the statement said.
The New Diamond chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) fully loaded with about 2 million barrels of oil.
Crew rescued
The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) was crewed by 5 Greek and 18 Philippine nationals.
- One Filipino seafarer died in the explosion, based on preliminary investigations.
- The 21 uninjured crew evacuated from the VLCC have been taken onboard The Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) vessels and isolated according to health guidelines.
- Two Russian anti-submarine ships and four Indian ships were assisting in the operation.
Rescue Operations
The military had sent an aircraft and two ships to assist.
On Twitter, India’s coast guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help fight the fire.
Sri Lanka’s Marine Protection Authority said it would take measures to prevent any possible oil leak from the tanker.
Such a spill could cause an “environmental disaster,” Ashok Sharma, managing director of shipbroker BRS Baxi in Singapore, said.
“No double-hull VLCC has spilt oil to date, but (it) depends on the damage to the ship,” he added.
Vessel details
The 300,000 dwt, 2000-built, New Diamond, is operated by New Shipping and registered in Panama, according Equasis.
This incident takes place just over a month after a 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil spill from a Japanese bulk carrier, MV Wakashio, when it ran aground on a reef in Mauritius.
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Source:Sea Trade Maritime & Reuters
