The owners of the crude oil tanker “MT New Diamond”, which was engulfed by flames on Thursday morning (03) off Sri Lanka, have handed over the vessel to an international salvage company.
A team of the company is set to arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday (07), the chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said.
At around 8.30 am on Thursday (03), the oil tanker, carrying 270,000 metric tons of crude oil, had been sailing 38 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point east of Sri Lankan seas, when the unfortunate turn of events unfolded.
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard are engaged in a joint effort to control the fire raging in the oil tanker, caused by an explosion of a boiler in the main engine room.
The Navy has rescued 22 of the 23 crew members aboard the oil tanker, however, the preliminary information from the ship’s crew confirmed that a Filipino seaman on board had died in a boiler explosion.
