Indian Coast Guard Ships Vaibhav and Vajra continue efforts to douse the intense fire onboard container vessel MV X-Press Pearl off Colombo. ICG Dornier aircraft has undertaken air reconnaissance of the area for assessment and support. No oil spill has been reported.

Amid rough seas and adverse weather conditions, the ICG ships, in a joint effort with vessels deployed by Sri Lanka, have carried out multiple runs along the length of the container vessel on both sides. Containers stacked on both sides of the vessel are reported to be either partially or wholly burnt and are in danger of falling overboard in some locations.

However, with deft manoeuvring, the ICG ships effectively sprayed the seawater and foam by reaching as close as 40-50 metres of the ship. Concerted and persistent firefighting by ICG ships have resulted in the fire appearing to have reduced in the fore and mid part of the distressed vessel but continues in the aft part close to superstructure.

The ICG Dornier aircraft operating from Madurai undertook aerial reconnaissance of the area on Thursday. ICG ship Samudra Prahari, a specialised Pollution Response (PR) vessel, has also been despatched in PR configuration to augment the firefighting efforts and respond to any oil spill.

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