- The fire on the VLCC tanker ‘New Diamond’ is under control or extinguished.
- The is no new reignition and the tanker is under tow in seaward direction.
- The initial fire began in an engine room boiler but did not spread to cargo.
- The initial fire killed one Filipino crew member and injured another, while 21 other crew members escaped uninjured.
VLCC tanker ‘New Diamond’ no flames, no smoke, writes Mikhail Voytenko for the Maritime Bulletin. Officials, earlier warn of enormous environmental damage to Sri Lanka’s coast if the ship, which was carrying nearly two million barrels of crude oil, leaks or explodes, reports Aljazeera.
VLCC tanker fire controlled
“The fire has now been brought under control and the ship is being towed by a tugboat out to sea,” said Sri Lanka navy spokesperson Indika de Silva.
The tanker is about 30 nautical miles (55km) off Sri Lanka’s coast and the plan is to position it is at 40 nautical miles (74km) to facilitate salvaging work, de Silva said.
So far, there is no risk of an oil leak or of the fire spreading into the oil storage area.
Also read Repeated Reignitions in VLCC Tanker With 2 Million Oil Barrels
Diesel patch
A ‘diesel patch’ was spotted in the ocean about one kilometre (half a mile) from the ship.
The patch is likely to be diesel fuel from the ship, it said. The ship has about 1,700 tonnes of fuel to power its engines.
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Source: Aljazeera & Maritime Bulletin
