New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL), caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka on Thursday. In the previous statement from a spokesperson with the Sri Lankan navy, the fire was reported to be under control. However, a later statement on Thursday said that a second blaze broke out on the ship. He noted that the cargo had so far remained intact, but an international effort is needed to prevent an oil spill.
According to the official, the VLCC is crewed by 18 Philippine and 5 Greek nationals. One of the Philippine nationals was injured, while another was missing after the fire. The statement said that authorities are taking steps to mitigate the risk of a possible oil leak. Sri Lanka’s navy has dispatched two ships and an aircraft to assist. India’s coast guard said it had deployed several aircraft and vessels to help fight the fire. Two Russian ships are also currently assisting in the operation.
According to tanker-tracking data, New Diamond is carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait. The supertanker was sailing toward the Indian port of Paradip, where IOCL operates its 300,000-bpd refinery.
