A Sri Lankan Navy watercraft sprays water on the New Diamond, a large unrefined service provider (VLCC) hired by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), that was bring the matching of regarding 2 million barrels of oil, after a fire burst out off eastern shore of Sri Lanka September 8, 2020. Sri Lankan Airforce media/Handout through REUTERS

By Waruna Karunatilake COLOMBO, Sept 8 (Reuters)– Sri Lanka’s navy stated on Tuesday that an oil slick had actually been found a kilometre from a crammed supertanker off the nation’s eastern shore, as initiatives to snuff out a fire on board proceeded.

Sri Lankan authorities are functioning to examine any kind of damages to the setting and also aquatic life from the event, which started onSept 3, when a fire originally burst out in the engine space of the New Diamond supertanker.

The initial fire aboard the ship, which was hired by Indian Oil Corp to import some 2 million barrels of oil from Kuwait, was produced, yet a 2nd one burst out on Monday.

“The ship has tilted slightly towards where the fire broke out due to the large amount of water sprayed to douse the fire,” Sri Lanka Navy’s representative Indika de Silva informed Reuters, including: “Oil in the engine room appears to have leaked out to the sea”.

The New Diamond was being held some 40 kilometres (25 miles) eastern of Sri Lanka, while firefighting watercrafts splashed it with water, de Silva included.

An Indian Air Force airplane posted at the worldwide flight terminal in Hambantota had additionally went down a specialized chemical mix on the slick to manage it, the Sri Lankan navy stated in a statement.

The most current fire got on the best side of the vessel near the channel and also was not near the containers holding the petroleum, Silva stated previously, including it was still shedding.

A salvage group was operating at the website and also “additional assets, salvage personnel and fire fighting equipment” got on the means, he stated.

Sri Lanka has actually released researchers and also professionals from its Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), with one group checking out the location around the ship and also one more seaside locations for indicators of contamination, Jagath Gunesekara, replacement General Manager of MEPA, stated. (Additional coverage by Arjuna Ranawana; Writing by Nidhi Verma and also Zeba Siddiqui; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and also Alexander Smith)

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