Fire on ship off Goa coast under control, says ICG official; 1 member dead

The fire that broke out on July 19 on a merchant navy ship off the coast of Goa is under control, a senior Indian Coast Guard official said on Sunday, adding one crew member had died in the blaze.

MV Maersk Frankfurt, carrying 1,154 containers, including some with dangerous cargo like benzene and sodium cyanate, had caught fire some 102 nautical miles off the coast of Goa while on its way from Mundra in Gujarat to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Dry chemical powder that was spread through helicopters on Saturday helped to a large extent in controlling the fire, ICG Deputy Inspector General Manoj Bhatia told PTI.

There is no fire in the portion in which the dangerous cargo is stocked, the ICG deputy inspector general asserted. "The firefighting operation is still on. The fire is under control. I would not say it is fully doused. Four ships are already in the area and also helicopters are taking regular sorties.

The ICG spread dry chemical powder through helicopters on Saturday, which has controlled the fire to a larger extent," Bhatia said. One of the 22 crew members is reportedly dead, he said, adding there is no immediate danger to anyone on the ship. "The ICG is keeping the vessel slightly away from the coast. We have asked state agencies to prepare for any exigencies that may occur due to oil pollution. We have given warning to all the concerned states so that disaster contingency plan is activated towards pollution response," he said.

Bhatia said past experience has shown such fires take 3-4 days to be put out completely, and even then the area remains heated, which one needs to keep a watch on. Bhatia said fire in the part of the ship where the dangerous cargo is stocked could have resulted in a major disaster. "As of now there is no oil pollution, no damage to the ship. It is just preparedness that once such a incident happens we have to keep all precautions in place," he added.