Sri Lanka: Fire-hit Tanker Towed Further Offshore as Wind Picks Up

Nidhi Verma
Thursday, September 10, 2020

The Sri Lankan navy has towed a fire-stricken supertanker further out to sea to keep it off the coast of the Indian Ocean island after the wind picked up strength and changed direction, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The tanker, loaded with 2 million barrels oil, was 50 nautical miles (95 km) from the east coast and moving in a northerly direction, the navy spokesman, Indika de Silva, said. Earlier, it had been headed southwest.

The stricken vessel has raised fears of an environmental disaster, but two oil slicks in its trail are the result of escaping marine fuel oil, rather than leaking crude.

A fire broke out in the engine room of the Greek-owned New Diamond tanker last Thursday. The blaze was believed to have been doused on Sunday but reignited a day later.

De Silva ruled out the possibility of fire breaking out again after a team of salvage experts visited the ship on Wednesday.

New Shipping Ltd, the manager of the Panama-flagged New Diamond, has appointed SMIT Singapore Pte Ltd as its salvage expert, he said.

There was no immediate comment from either company.

A preliminary investigation by the salvage firm showed the presence of a toxic gas in and around the vessel, de Silva said, but gave no further details.

Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has said it plans to take action against the ship's owner under the country's laws to protect the marine ecosystem.

The oil slicks have been sprayed with chemical dispersants from a Dornier aircraft deployed by the Indian Coast Guard.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Richard Pullin and Clarence Fernandez)

Categories: Tankers Navy Salvage Firefighting Oil Tanker Coastal/Inland

Related Stories

Shell’s Brazil-Bound FPSO Starts Taking Shape

SBM Offshore, SLB to Optimize FPSO Performance Using AI

SBM Offshore Starts Construction of FSO for Trion Oil Field off Mexico

Russia Targets 2028 for Sakhalin-3 Gas Project Start Up

Hanwha Ocean's Tidal Action Drillship Starts Maiden Job with Petrobras

Brownfield Output Decline Accelerates, says IEA

Hanwha Ocean Enlists ABB for Singapore’s First Floating LNG Terminal

POSH Set to Tow Nguya FLNG from China to Eni’s Congo Field

Floating Offshore Wind Test Center Planned for Japan

TotalEnergies Inks 10-Year LNG Supply Deal with South Korea’s KOGAS

Current News

Shell’s Brazil-Bound FPSO Starts Taking Shape

Ventura Offshore’s Semi-Sub Rig to Keep Drilling for Eni in Asia

SBM Offshore, SLB to Optimize FPSO Performance Using AI

MODEC Ramps Up Hammerhead FPSO Work After ExxonMobil's Go-Ahead

Aesen, DOC JV Targets Subsea Cable Logistics

Timor Gap Boosts Stake in Finder Energy’s Timor-Leste Oil Fields

SBM Offshore Starts Construction of FSO for Trion Oil Field off Mexico

Russia Targets 2028 for Sakhalin-3 Gas Project Start Up

Seatrium Secures ABS Backing for Deepwater FPSO Design

MDL Secures Cable Laying Job in Asia Pacific

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com