VASCO: The fire that broke out on a merchant navy ship off the coast of Goa is under control, a senior Indian Coast Guard official said on Sunday, adding that a crew member had died in the fierce blaze.
MV Maersk Frankfurt, carrying 1,154 containers, including some with dangerous cargo like benzene and sodium cyanate, had caught fire some 102 nautical miles off the coast of Goa while on its way from Mundra in Gujarat to Colombo in Sri Lanka on July 19.
“Dry chemical powder that was spread through helicopters helped to a large extent in controlling the blazes on Saturday,” stated ICG Deputy Inspector General Manoj Bhatia.
There is no fire in the portion in which the dangerous cargo is stocked, the ICG deputy inspector general reiterated.
“The firefighting operation is still on and the situation is under control but I would not say it is completely doused. Four ships are already in the area and so are helicopters taking regular sorties. The ICG spread dry chemical powder through helicopters which has controlled the fire to a larger extent. One of the 22 crew members is reportedly dead, he said, adding there is no immediate danger to anyone on the ship,” the official stated.
“The ICG is keeping the vessel slightly away from the coast. We have asked state agencies to prepare for any exigencies that may occur due to oil pollution. We have given warning to all the concerned states so that disaster contingency plan is activated towards pollution response,” he said.
Bhatia said past experience has shown such fires take 3-4 days to be put out completely, and even then the area remains heated, which one needs to keep a watch on.
