Colombia, Sep 7 (UNI) The fire on board MT New Diamond, a supertanker transporting a large supply of crude oil across the Indian Ocean, was completely extinguished following three days of hard effort by the Sri Lankan military and other stakeholders, Sri Lanka Navy said in a press release on Monday.
The tanker reported distress last Thursday on its way from Kuwait to India with a cargo of 270,000 metric tons of crude oil. The fire purportedly started with an explosion in the boiler in the vessel's engine room. Extinguishing the fire were Sri Lanka's navy and air force and India's navy and coast guard. Russia also sent two ships, which at a time were engaged in joint Russian-Indian naval drills nearby in the Andaman Sea, to provide emergency assistance to the distressed tanker.
"Although the fire has now been completely doused, there is a possibility of a recurrence of the fire due to the high temperature inside the ship and environmental influences. Therefore, Sri Lanka Navy is on high alert and is ready for any emergency," the press release read.