Damage control teams today (09th September 2020) successfully doused the fire on board MT New Diamond crude oil tanker. Three (03) member team from salvor boarded the fire-damaged ship for the first time today and carried out a preliminary investigations. Meanwhile, a team of experts from the Sri Lanka Navy and the Indian Coast Guard is scheduled to board the distressed ship to make an assessment for onward action. The team would deliver updates about the existing damages and safety condition of the ship in the time to come.

Damage control teams successfully brought the fire, which reignited aboard MT New Diamond as a result of adverse weather, under control by morning hours of today (09th September 2020). There are no flames or smoke to be noticed as of now and the distressed ship is being towed further away towards safe waters by a tug. Accordingly, the distressed oil tanker is now about 37 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point and the damage control operation is continuing at full steam in rough sea conditions and strong winds.

As a result of the concerted efforts of the damage control teams, the fire resulted by adverse weather onboard the MT New Diamond has been successfully controlled to a greater extent by now. Meanwhile, the damage control teams are making a lot of effort and continuing the mission ahead, using fire extinguishing agents and water.

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Ships, aircraft and tugs belong to the Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy and other stakeholders are continuing their damage control operations to suppress the fire resulted by adverse weather, onboard the MT New Diamond again. As a result of the incessant effort of the mission partners, the flames have been reduced to a certain extent as of now.

The damage control teams were able to douse the fire onboard MT New Diamond by 3.00 p.m. yesterday. Further, they have been working in full swing to continue damage control operations to prevent a recurrence of fire, using fire smothering agents like water and chemicals.

Sri Lanka Navy in partnership with other stakeholders involved in the damage control operations of the fire-stricken MT New Diamond is working in full swing to prevent a recurrence of fire on distressed crude oil tanker. The fire smothering agents like water and chemicals are being used in this operation to disrupt the oxygen supply and heat which are integral parts in combustion process.

Sri Lanka Navy and other damage control teams were able to bring the fire onboard the crude oil tanker MT New Diamond under control by 3.00 p.m. yesterday (06th September 2020). However, due to the high temperature inside the ship and environmental factors there is a possibility of a return of the fire. Therefore, the vessels and craft dispatched for damage control efforts continue to engage in boundary cooling on the fire engulfed oil tanker.

The MT New Diamond crude oil tanker was transporting 270,000 metric tons of crude oil from the port of Meena Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Port of Paradip in India when a fire broke out aboard in the eastern seas of Sri Lanka on 03rd September 2020 at around 0800 hrs. The ship was sailing 38 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point when it caught fire with an explosion in a boiler in the ship's main engine room.