Three Indian Coast Guard ships are escorting the damaged crude tanker MT New Diamond, while it is being towed off from the Sri Lankan Coast to the Fujairah Port.
The tanker had experienced a severe blaze in the engine roomm and is being towed by a team of salvors that have been arranged by the vessel’s owners. At the time of the incident, the tanker was carrying about 3 lakh metric tons of Kuwaiti export crude oil.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, pollution control vessels as well as onboard helicopter with pollution response gear have been deployed to escort MT New diamond. What is more, coast guard ships will provide preventive pollution response cover in case of any oil leakage.
The tanker is expected to take several weeks to reach its destination, considering the significant reduction in speed while being safely towed.
The fire broke out when the carrier was in the eastern seas of Sri Lanka on September 3, due to an explosion in a boiler in the ship’s main engine room. When the fire broke out, Indian Coast Guard and their Sri Lankan counterparts, along with the respective Navies from the countries took place in the firefighting efforts. Moreover, the Indian Coast Guard had deployed seven ships and two aircraft for this operation, providing necessary support to the Sri Lankan authorities.
After a giant effort which lasted more than a weekm the flame was tackled. Initially, an oil sheen was spotted, which came from the engine room explosion and not from the cargo hold. The sheen has now been cleared.
The fire on the MT New Diamond was feared to be a major environmental disaster, due to the large volume of crude oil that the tanker was carrying.
