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Oil tanker catches fire: Three crew members rescued

04 Sep 2020

The Sri Lanka Navy has rescued three crew members aboard the crude oil tanker “MT New Diamond” ablaze off the Sangaman Kanda coast, including its Captain. They are currently being brought ashore, stated Navy Spokesperson Capt. Indika de Silva yesterday (3). Reportedly, among the rescued crew members, the third engineer of the ship has sustained critical injuries. Preparations have been made to admit him to a hospital in the Eastern Province. An oil tanker chartered by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), registered in Panama, caught fire 38 nautical miles off the Sangaman Kanda coast. The fire has occurred in the engine room of the ship. However, the fire has not spread to the area where the oil is stored, stated the Navy. Nineteen crew members – Greek and Philippine nationals – had been rescued earlier by a passing merchant vessel. Three vessels of the Sri Lanka Navy and a B200 Beechcraft and a M-17 helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were deployed to help in the rescue effort. According to SLAF Media Spokesman Group Capt. Dushan Wijesinghe, the two aircraft have already returned to the island. Meanwhile, two Russian warships, docked at the Hambantota Port, are to join the Sri Lanka Navy in the rescue operations. The fully loaded New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was heading to the Port of Paradip in India where state-run IOC operates a 300,000-barrels-per-day refinery. It had sailed from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait, Refinitiv Eikon ship-tracking data showed. The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said steps will be taken to prevent any possible oil leaks from the tanker carrying 270,000 tonnes of oil. Meanwhile, Lanka IOC Managing Director Manoj Gupta expressed the following: “Certainly this will not at all have any impact on our presence. The vessel was carrying crude oil for Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and it had sailed from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait and yes, there was an explosion of fire which was convened at the engine room of the vessel. With the strongest intervention of our tri-forces; the Sri Lanka Navy, the Sri Lanka Air Force; and the continuous engagement from their side during this fire, it has been brought under control. “To my understanding, there have been no casualties reported. There has not been any oil spillage. A vessel from the Indian Coast Guard is coming and will be reaching the site today (3) and another Sri Lankan naval ship will be reaching the site carrying the firefighting equipment. “As far as this particular ship is concerned and as far as our country is concerned, it does not have any relation with the supplies.”


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