No oil spillage from blazing container ship: Coast Guard
Kolkata: The Coast Guard on Sunday said there has been no oil spillage so far from a blazing container ship, which caught fire on June 13 and was abandoned by its crew in the Bay of Bengal.
MV SSL Kolkata, whose 22-member crew including the Master, were rescued by the Coast Guard on June 14, is "upright and stationary", eight nautical miles off the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, Coast Guard Commander (North East) Inspector General K S Sheoran said.
"Two advanced offshore patrol vessels with fire fighting and pollution response capability are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil and monitoring SSL Kolkata amidst severe sea and challenging weather conditions," he said in a statement.
Noting that there has been no oil spillage from the container ship so far, he said three other Coast Guard ships and pollution control equipment have been kept ready at Haldia port for immediate mobilisation in case there is any spillage of oil.
A marine commando of the Navy and three members of the crew dropped the starboard anchor of the vessel yesterday in a daring operation after they were winched down on the blazing ship from a Seaking 42C helicopter to arrest its drift towards the International Maritime Border Line with Bangladesh. Sheoran said the latest report from a salvage team, which was airlifted by the Coast Guard in a Dornier aircraft for a close survey, has indicated that there was reduction in the fire and smoke from the vessel.
"Four Coast Guard hovercraft are also on standby at the forward operating base at Frazerganj for immediate support," the IG said. MV SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its captain and 21 other crew members after 70 per cent of the ship carrying containerised cargo was on fire in the Bay of Bengal, about 55 nautical miles from Sagar Island in West Bengal.
The 148-metre-long ship was carrying 464 containers and 211 metric tonnes of heavy fuel on board and caught fire while sailing from Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Haldia port, according to the Coast Guard.
