Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: A huge fire has broken out on a merchant container vessel near Goa. The ship was on passage from Mundra to Sri Lanka’s Colombo and is now located around 102 nautical miles south west of Goa.
The Indian Coast Guard has diverted a ship to help. The ship has reached the spot and is carrying out fire-fighting operation despite rough sea and inclement weather. Two more Coast Guard ships have been sent to help with the firefighting.
An Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard has also been launched for aerial assessment.
The ship is reported to be carrying International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo. Explosions can be heard from its front part.
Deputy Inspector General Manoj Bhatia of Coast Guard, Goa, said that they have sent three ships with fire-fighting equipment to the spot. He also said that they have asked their Kochi base to send a helicopter for evacuation.
The Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) of the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command and the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) were also informed of the situation.
The Indian Navy coordinated with the Coast Guard to assess if additional assistance was required. Considering the weather conditions and the threat to lives and the marine environment, the vessel’s owners were instructed by MRCC to arrange for a tug to arrest the drift and tow the vessel if necessary.
The Indian Coast Guard diverted one of its vessels to the area and later dispatched two additional ships to augment firefighting efforts. A Dornier aircraft was also dispatched and so was an Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) from Mumbai Port to assist.
Till the filing of this report, firefighting operations are going on in full swing. However, as per ICG, the containers on deck are still exploding.
The merchant vessel, on its way from Mundra to Colombo, was reportedly carrying “International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo” and explosions have been occurring on its front part, the Coast Guard said.
An ICG Dornier aircraft was also launched for aerial assessment, and the crew which was in panic was reassured of safety by the ICG ship, it said.
