Ship-to-ship transfer of crude planned before salvaging blaze-hit tanker

COLOMBO: Tugboats battled into the night to stop a blazing oil tanker carrying 270,000 tons of crude from drifting toward the Sri Lankan coast, AFP reported.

Water and foam cannons were used to smother the flames, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre chief Sudantha Ranasinghe was quoted as saying in the report.

According to AFP, Ranasinghe said the blaze had not spread to the massive crude cargo and 1,700 tons of diesel fuel.

He said authorities were considering a ship-to-ship transfer of the crude before salvaging the tanker.

The New Diamond was heading for the eastern Indian port of Paradip from Kuwait when it issued a distress signal 60 km from Sri Lanka’s east coast.

The fire on the Panamanian-registered New Diamond had been brought under control, according to the Indian coastguard.

But smoke was still pouring from the 330-meter long vessel after an engine-room explosion set off the emergency.

With one Filipino crew member killed in the explosion and the 22 others taken off, the tanker drifted 25 km closer to the coast on Friday.