COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan Navy with help from Indian ships was battling for a second day on Friday to douse a serious hearth raging on an oil tanker carrying crude from Kuwait to India that left one among its 23 crew members lifeless.
The Sri Lankan navy on Friday confirmed {that a} Filipino sailor died in a boiler explosion within the engine room of Panama registered tanker MT New Diamond that caught hearth on Thursday.
The navy mentioned that 22 of the 23 member crew had been safely rescued off the tanker.
The tanker was carrying 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil from Kuwait to India when its engine room caught hearth off the coast of Sangamankanda within the map district of Ampara.
The Navy mentioned that up to now the 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil it was carrying had not been affected by the fireplace.
“Steps are presently being taken to cease the unfold of fireside to the cargo,” it mentioned in an announcement.
The Sri Lankan Navy can be taking steps to make sure that there will likely be no seepage of oil to the ocean from the tanker.
The distressed vessel is within the waters 23 nautical miles off the jap coast the place the ocean depth is measured at 3100 meters.
The operation to douse the fireplace resumed early this morning underneath the supervision of the Greek nationwide captain of the tanker.
The Indian Naval Frigate INS Sahyadri joined the operations by 0200 hours on Friday.
The Navy mentioned two extra Indian Coast guard vessels are to hitch the rescue operations.
The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday mentioned that it pressed into motion three of its ships and a Dornier plane after the Sri Lankan navy sought help to regulate the fireplace on board the oil tanker.
In a swift sea and air coordinated search and rescue (SAR) operation, the Coast Guard mentioned it instantly diverted ICG Ships Shaurya, Sarang, and Samudra Paheredar, apart from a Dornier plane for the firefight on the oil tanker. The Sri Lankan navy mentioned that the 2 Russian vessels which had been docked on the Hambantota port since August 31 and dispatched to the realm to hitch the rescue operations departed Sri Lankan waters this morning.
On Thursday evening, MV Helen, a vessel cruising within the space, rescued three Greeks and 16 Filipino crew members from the distressed vessel.
The navy spokesman mentioned that at the least 4 ships had been dispatched to hold out the rescue operation.
The naval ships had been dispatched from the jap port of Trincomalee and the southern port of Hambantota.
On the time the fireplace broke out, the Panamanian-registered ship was about 38 nautical miles (70 kilometers) east of Sri Lanka.
