A Panamanian-flagged tanker was still engulfed in flames off Sri Lankaon Friday for the second day in a row, exacerbating fears of a large-scale oil spill in the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lankan army and Indian coastguard vessels continued to attempt to extinguish the blaze with fire-fighting spears. At the same time, a Sri Lankan helicopter was dropping water on the stern of the vessel.
270,000 tonnes of crude oil and 1,700 tonnes of diesel on board
The New Diamond, which carries 270,000 tons of crude oil and 1,700 tons of diesel, issued a distress call Thursday after an explosion in its engine room. The Sri Lankan navy said the flames had not spread to the ship’s cargo of oil and diesel.
“Preliminary information from the crew confirmed that a Philippine sailor was killed yesterday in a boiler explosion,” the navy said in a statement.
The 330-metre-long VLCC (Very large crude carrier) tanker was carrying 23 crew members, including 18 Filipinos and five Greeks. All were evacuated on Thursday, with the exception of the dead sailor. The third officer of the tanker, also from the Philippines, was badly burned and hospitalized in Kalmunai, 360 kilometres east of Colombo. His condition is stable, according to the navy spokesman.
About 60 kilometres east of the Sri Lankan coast
Neighbouring India has dispatched coastguard and navy vessels. The tanker was about 60 kilometres east of the Sri Lankan coast when it sent its distress signal. It drifted in the night ten kilometers towards the coast.
The Sri Lankan navy again considered that there was no immediate danger to the coast, but expressed concern about the risk of an oil spill.
Departing from Kuwait, bound for the Indian port of Paradip,the “New Diamond” is about 30 metres longer than the Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which ran aground in late July on a reef in southeastern Mauritius,dumping at least 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea before breaking in two, three weeks later.
