Crude oil tanker New Diamond after a hearth aboard was extinguished on September 6, 2020.
Colombo, Sri Lanka:
India on Tuesday despatched contemporary provides of firefighting chemical compounds to assist battle a brand new blaze on a stricken tanker loaded with a large cargo of crude oil off Sri Lanka’s japanese coast.
The New Diamond has been burning since Thursday, and an enormous blaze believed to have been extinguished on Sunday reignited due to sturdy winds on Monday, elevating fears of one other environmental catastrophe within the Indian Ocean.
Rescuers and salvage specialists have stated there isn’t a signal of a leak within the Panama-flagged supertanker, which was carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude and one other 1,700 tonnes of diesel as its gas.
Ramping up the rescue effort, an Indian Coast Guard plane was anticipated to carry dry chemical powder on Tuesday, which might then be dropped by helicopters on the ship, the Sri Lankan navy stated.
Six salvage specialists and 11 catastrophe administration professionals flown in by the New Diamond’s Greek house owners had been taken Monday to the vessel, some 55 kilometres (34 miles) off the coastal village of Sangamankanda Level, the navy stated.
SMIT, a Dutch salvage firm, stated the strict was nonetheless too scorching and unsafe for them to board the vessel for an inspection.
“As soon as the scenario is deemed secure and protected, we can examine the vessel,” SMIT advised AFP in The Hague.
The corporate stated there was a risk of towing the tanker to a safer location and eradicating the cargo.
“At this time limit, there aren’t any indicators of a leak. As a result of unpredictable scenario, nevertheless, the above might change and particulars together with final vacation spot and timing are unknown,” it added.
Nineteen vessels from India and Sri Lanka have been concerned in preventing the fireplace on the New Diamond, which reportedly began after a boiler room explosion that killed a Filipino crew member on Thursday.
The remaining 22 crew members had been rescued.
The vessel was on a journey from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip.
“On account of the incessant effort of the (rescue) mission companions, the flames have been diminished to a sure extent as of now,” the Sri Lankan navy stated in an announcement.
Sri Lanka’s Marine Atmosphere Safety Company (MEPA) is because of go to the world to check water samples for any air pollution, officers stated.
MEPA has stated that authorized motion might be taken towards the house owners, Liberian-registered Porto Emporios Transport Inc, “ought to the worst occur and the ship breaks up”.
The New Diamond is way bigger than the Japanese bulk provider MV Wakashio, which crashed right into a reef in Mauritius in July, leaking greater than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation’s pristine waters.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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