Fire on-board vessel off Mumbai coast, crew rescued

Twenty-four out of total 33 crew members on board an ONGC supply vessel at the Bombay High, off the Mumbai coast, were rescued after a major blaze broke out in its engine room on Sunday.

However, there were no casualties in the incident which occurred in the afternoon.

"While 24 out of total 33 crew members were evacuated by ships in vicinity of the vessel, nine members are still on the boat. However, five out of them are fire-fighters," said Coast Guard spokesperson Deepak Sharma, adding they all are out of danger.

"The ship was at about 200 km west of Mumbai when it intimated a major fire in the engine room which was raging. Though no casualty was reported, the situation warranted fire-fighting as well as evacuation of the crew. A total of 33 crew members were reported to be onboard," a Coast Guard statement said.

After the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Mumbai (MRCC-MB) received a distress alert from the supply vessel of ONGC in the afternoon, it swung into action and launched fire fighting operations.

Sharma said the Coast Guard's regional headquarters at Mumbai immediately diverted its aircraft ex Air Station Daman on surveillance to assess the situation. 

"Further, MRCC-MB coordinated with the ships in vicinity," he added.