Second Fire Breaks Out On Fuel Tanker Sailing From Kuwait To Sri Lanka

A pokesman for the Sri Lankan Navy said today that an oil tanker has re-set fire to the east coast of the country, and that international efforts are needed to extinguish it.
This comes after the spokesman announced earlier that a fire had been brought under control of the fully loaded oil tanker, adding that one of the 23 crew members was missing and another was injured.
Refinitiv ship traffic tracking data showed that the supertanker New Diamond leased by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) of India is carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil.
“The part containing the cargo was not damaged, but only the engine room and some areas around it. There were 23 crew members on board, and we are transporting a wounded crew to Sri Lanka on board one of our ships,” Navy spokesman Captain Indica de Silva told Reuters.
Pictures taken by the Sri Lankan air force showed plumes of thick gray smoke billowing from the tanker chimney, but there were no signs of damage to the rest of the ship.
Another navy spokesman, Commander Ranjit Rajapaksa, said the tanker caught fire about 20 nautical miles off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka and that the military had sent an aircraft and two ships to help in the rescue efforts.
He added that one of the crew members was missing.
The Indian Coast Guard said it had sent several ships and aircraft to help extinguish the fire.
The tanker set sail from Al-Ahmadi Port in Kuwait loaded with Kuwaiti export crude, according to Refinitiv Icon data to track the movement of ships. The ship was destined for the Indian port of Paradeep, where the state company runs a 300,000 bpd refinery.
Sri Lanka Maritime Protection Authority said the authorities would take steps to prevent any possible oil leakage from the tanker.
“The fire broke out at 7:45 am Indian time,” a source said, requesting anonymity.
“It was an explosion, fire and severe injuries to the crew.”

 

Source: Kuwaitofferings

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