Repeated Reignitions in VLCC Tanker With 2 Million Oil Barrels

By
Mfame Editor
-
1997

  • Fresh fire hits stricken oil supertanker off Sri Lanka and put off.
  • The fire in the aft section and superstructure reignites again.
  • The whole structure in aft section overheats with a substantial quantity of bunker fuel.
  • The left out bunker fuel leads to repeated reignitions.
VLCC tanker New Diamond on fire again writes Mikhail Voytenko for Maritime Bulletin.  Also, Rueters reports that fire fighters are again battling flames aboard a fully loaded oil supertanker off Sri Lanka.

What happened?

A fire first broke out last Thursday in the engine room and spread to the bridge of the very large crude carrier, chartered by Indian Oil Corp for importing oil from Kuwait. That blaze was doused on Sunday.

Fire fighters are again battling flames aboard a fully loaded oil supertanker off Sri Lanka, the island’s nation’s navy said on Monday, four days after fire first broke out on the New Diamond.

“Fresh flames have risen in the funnel section of the MT New Diamond Supertanker and fire fighters are battling the fire using foam to contain the blaze,” said the Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva, adding that the fire had not reached the oil cargo of around 2 million barrels.

Also read VLCC With 2 Million Oil Barrels Catch Fire,1 Dead

Tugs spraying water

Tugs had been spraying water onto the ship on Monday to keep the metal cool, but high winds ignited the flames once again, de Silva said.

“We are spraying water on to the ship to keep it cool as there are several small fires still burning,” he said.

 

Several tugboats are surrounding the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC).

They are keeping it about 30 nautical miles, or about 58 km, east of Sangaman point – Sri Lanka’s easternmost point in the Ampara district.

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Source:Reuters & Maritime Bulletin