Sri Lanka has started to tow the burning oil tanker “New Diamond” off the coast of the island nation. The wrecked ship, on which a fire broke out yesterday, threatened to drift towards the coast. As the government of Sri Lanka announced, the burning oil tanker is currently around 50 kilometers off the east coast.The “New Diamond” is a very large oil tanker with around 300,000 tons of loading capacity. The ship, which sails under the Panamanian flag, was chartered by the Indian Oil Company and was en route from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip. According to the information, the ship has more than two million barrels of crude oil on board and large amounts of diesel fuel.
The rear of the tanker is on fire with clouds of black smoke rising above, as seen on footage from Reuters news agency. The fire-fighting work resumed in the morning after it had to be canceled Thursday evening due to poor visibility and strong winds.
It is unclear whether oil has already leaked. There are still no signs of this, it said on the Sri Lankan government website. According to media reports, oil has been running into the sea since Thursday evening.
Environmentalists fear dire consequences
A few weeks after the breakdown of an oil tanker off Mauritius, the next environmental catastrophe looms in the Indian Ocean. According to the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, there are whale and reef sharks off the coast of Sri Lanka, as well as sea turtles and blue and sperm whales.
Should the “New Diamond” lose its cargo, the consequences would be dire, said Pradeep Kumara, the head of the Sri Lankan Environment Agency: “There is a risk of enormous damage, especially for the northern coast of Sri Lanka, but also for the eastern coast and the southern section of the coast. The ship has more than 260,000 tons of oil on it, as well as large amounts of diesel fuel. And if the ship explodes as a result of the fire, things can get much worse. “
Apparently dead
22 of the 23 members of the ship’s crew, including apparently Filipino and Greek citizens, were reportedly rescued. A member of the crew apparently died in the engine room.
Cell phone videos broadcast by Reuters news agency showed injured people being taken off board. The Sri Lankan Air Force had sent one observation aircraft and the Navy two ships to aid the rescue effort.
