Naval specialist team to drop anchor of container ship on fire

A Naval specialist team will be dispatched tomorrow to drop the anchor of a drifting container ship on fire to prevent it from moving close to the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) with Bangladesh, a Defence official said today.

The captain and 21 sailors on MV SSL Kolkata were rescued yesterday.

A Seaking 42C helicopter carrying four members of the ship and a Naval specialist team from Visakhapatnam will take to the air from the Kalaikunda airbase at first light tomorrow morning.

The continuing fire on board the ship and its movement towards the IMBL with Bangladesh remains a cause of concern, the Defence official said, adding senior officials of the Ministry of Shipping, the Kolkata Port Trust, the Coast Guard and the West Bengal government held a meeting in this regard.

"Based on the decision taken at the meeting, a Seaking 42C helicopter and a Dornier of the Navy from Vizag have been mobilised," the official said.

INS Kadmatt, an anti-submarine warfare corvette with ultra-modern facilities, has also been dispatched from Visakhapatnam to provide all necessary support, he said.

MV SSL Kolkata was abandoned by its captain and 21 sailors after the fire engulfed 70 per cent of the ship carrying containerised cargo in the Bay of Bengal, about 55 nautical miles from the Sagar Island in West Bengal.

The smoke and fire on the upper deck of the ship has reduced, Coast Guard commander (North East) Inspector General K S Sheoran said.