Major disaster averted as fire onboard oil tanker off Sri Lanka is brought under control

A fully loaded oil tanker caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka on September 3 leaving one of its 23 crew members dead and another injured. Both were Filipino. (Sri Lankan Air Force via AP)

Although the fire has been brought under control, it is still not extinguished, the Sri Lankan Navy said Saturday. (Twitter/@IndiaCoastGuard)

Four tug boats, three Sri Lankan navy ships and four Indian ships have been battling the fire on the ship since September 3. (Twitter/@IndiaCoastGuard)

The tanker had 23 crew members — 18 Filipinos and five Greeks. Twenty-one members had managed to leave the tanker uninjured. Operations were conducted to rescue the remaining. (Sri Lanka Navy via AP)

According to agency reports, Sri Lankan Navy Spokesperson Capt Indika Silva said the fire started in the engine room of New Diamond and later spread across to other parts of the tanker. (Sri Lanka Navy via AP)

However, it did not spread to the tanker’s oil storage area, averting a major environmental disaster. This concern had been raised by several officials and environmentalists after the fire broke out. (Twitter/@IndiaCoastGuard)

The tanker, called MT New Diamond, is a very large crude carrier (VLCC). It was chartered by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and was headed towards the Paradip port in Odisha, where the state-run oil company operates a three lakh barrel-per-day refinery. (Sri Lanka Navy via AP)

The head of Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority, Darshani Lahandapur, had appealed to regional countries to help fight the fire, saying Sri Lanka does not have the resources or capacity to combat such a massive disaster. She said her organisation plans to take legal action over the fire. (Sri Lanka Navy via AP)