A massive fire erupted on a container cargo merchant vessel about 102 nautical miles southwest of Goa on Friday. The vessel was en route from Gujarat’s Mundra to Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said in a statement.
Upon receiving the information, the Indian Coast Guard diverted a ship to the distressed vessel at maximum speed. Additionally, a Dornier aircraft was deployed for an aerial assessment.
According to the Coast Guard’s statement, the ship is carrying Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo, and explosions have been occurring in the front part of the vessel. Despite rough seas and inclement weather, the Indian Coast Guard ship has arrived in the area and is conducting fire-fighting operations.
The panic-stricken crew has been reassured of their safety by the Indian Coast Guard ship. The statement also noted that two ICG ships have sailed from Goa to augment the firefighting efforts.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Indian Coast Guard rescued an Indian fishing boat with 11 crew members off the Kerala coast. The ICG braved rough weather conditions due to heavy rain. A Dornier aircraft had sighted the distressed fishing boat on the night of July 16, according to a Defence Ministry statement quoted by PTI.
“The vessel was in a critical condition due to flooding from a hull rupture near the keel and loss of propulsion, which posed a threat to the safety of the crew,” the ministry said.
The patrolling ICG ship ‘Saksham’ was immediately diverted by ICG District Headquarters No. 4 (Kerala & Mahe) to assist the vessel. To bolster efforts, another ICG ship ‘Abhinav’ was deployed, along with an advanced light helicopter to rescue the crew. A technical ICG team boarded the distressed boat, conducted de-flooding operations, and provided necessary assistance. The operation culminated in the rescue of all crew members and the vessel, the ministry added.
–With agency inputs
