An oil tanker loaded with two million barrels of Kuwati crude sailing toward India’s Paradip refinery caught fire Thursday morning off Sri Lanka’s coast, raising concerns about an oil spill. The fire in the engine room of New Diamond, a very large crude carrier, was caused by an explosion, said Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Indika de Silva.
The fire spread to other parts of the vessel, according to Sri Lanka Navy. Parts of the blaze have since been doused, the Indian Coast Guard said in a Twitter post on Friday. A crack of about 2 meters has been seen 10 meters above the waterline in the rear of the tanker’s port side, it added. Sri Lanka Navy deployed two vessels for rescue operations, Indian Coast Guard diverted three ships and an aircraft, while clean tanker Helen M was also pressed into service. The fire hasn’t reached the cargo area, de Silva said on Friday.
While, there have been no reports of large-scale oil leakage, Sri Lankan authorities are deploying equipment to prevent pollution. The area is south of a belt well known for whale sightings, and any oil spill could threaten marine life in the region…
