Chennai, (Samajweekly) The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday said nothing alarming was seen on the very large crude carrier (VLCC) New Diamond that was on fire for six days since September 3.
“There was nothing alarming. There was no reignition. The Coast Guard ships will be at the scene till the stricken oil tanker is towed away,” a Coast Guard official told IANS.
According to the Coast Guard official, the ship salvors will decide on the future course of action like bringing the oil tanker on an even keel and where to tow it.
No significant list is observed on the vessel while it continues to be trimmed by aft (rear side of the ship dipping down into water) by about one metre, the Coast Guard had said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Sri Lankan Navy chief, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, visited Coast Guard ship Ameya at Trincomalee and conveyed appreciation for the Indian coastal security agency’s efforts in saving New Diamond.
The oil tanker, carrying about 300,000 tonnes of crude, caught fire on September 3 after an explosion in its engine room, 37 nautical miles off Sri Lankan coast.
The 20-year-old VLCC, sailing under the Panama flag, departed from Kuwait’s Mina Al Ahmadi on August 23 and was headed to India’s Paradip port, which it was expected to reach on September 5.
According to the Coast Guard, the vessel reported a major explosion in its engine room while it was on its way to the port in Odisha.
The first information about the vessel fire was received at the Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai.
A Coast Guard official had earlier told IANS that the ship’s fuel was on fire.
The ship apparently had about 1,700 tonnes of fuel when it caught fire.
