New Delhi: India has dispatched two Coast Guard vessels and an plane to assist the Sri Lankan Navy douse the flames on container ship ‘X-PRESS PEARL’ that caught fireplace off the coast of Colombo final week.
The cargo vessel, carrying a consignment of chemical substances and uncooked supplies for cosmetics from Hazira in Gujarat to Colombo Port, caught fireplace 9.5 nautical miles from the coast earlier on May 20 the place it was anchored exterior the Colombo port.
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“Help on way! Responding promptly as ever to the request by Sri Lanka, India dispatches ICG Vaibhav, ICG Dornier and Tug Water Lilly for fighting the fire,” the Indian High Commission mentioned in a tweet on Tuesday
The 25 crew members of Philippine, Chinese, Indian and Russian nationality on the ship have been rescued. Official sources mentioned no less than 5 Indians have been among the many crew rescued, PTI reported.
The Navy, which confirmed the Indian help in a press release launched on Tuesday, mentioned it has warned the fishing neighborhood to keep away.
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Stating that efforts are underway to fully extinguish the flame, the Navy mentioned tug boats have been deployed to scale back the warmth surrounding the container
Besides, two offshore patrol vessels — Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Sagara, Sindurala — and a quick assault craft are utilizing dry chemical powder to include the fireplace, which Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva mentioned was brought on by a chemical response.
