A re-ignition of the fire has been observed on the oil tanker MT New Diamond that previously caught fire on September 3 while carrying at least 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil caught fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka.

The New Diamond, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was heading to the port of Paradip in India, where the state-run firm operates a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery.

Previously, Sri Lanka Air Force had responded to a distress signal received from the MT New Diamond, an oil tanker sailing 38 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point, east of Sri Lanka. The No 3 Maritime Squadron located at the Sri Lanka Air Force Academy in China Bay promptly dispatched a Beech King B200 Aircraft. The Sri Lanka Air Force Beechcraft was the first to get to the location and provide live situational updates to the Sri Lanka Navy and other stakeholders of the situation. In addition to the Beechcraft, a Sri Lanka Air Force MI-17 helicopter was deployed to conduct rescue operations. According to reports, the Sri Lanka Air Force Beechcraft is continuing aerial surveillance of the situation while an MI-17 helicopter is conducting rescue operations to douse the blaze.

The fire had killed one of the crew and injured another. The injured third engineer was hospitalized in stable condition.

The distressed oil tanker in eastern seas was manned by 23 crew members, including five Greeks and 18 Philippine nationals. Further, the tanker was transporting oil from the port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip, when it faced this unfortunate event. It was also reported that 1,700 metric tonnes of diesel required for the tanker was stored onboard.

Sri Lanka Navy Spokesperson Captain Indika De Silva said the distressed ship was towed further away towards safe waters by a tug and is now about 41 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point.

The fire onboard oil tanker MT New Diamond off Sri Lanka coast has been doused, the Indian Coast Guard had said on September 6, adding that cooling of the ship was in progress.

According to Sri Lanka Air Force, as of September 9, the fire and smoke which was clearly visible from the air have subsided

The gallant mission was undertaken on the instructions of the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sumangala Dias under the continuous guidance of the Director of Air Operations, Air Vice Marshal Ravi Jayasinghe.

To date, Sri Lanka Air Force has conducted 176 flying missions and dropped 440,000 litres of water on to the blazing tanker. Besides, Sri Lanka Air Force helicopters also dropped a total of 4,500Kg (9920lbs) dry Chemical Powder on to vital areas of the tanker.

The success of the mission is a combined effort by the Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Department of Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and various other stakeholders in the region.

During the seven-days of this operation, a Beech King B200 aircraft from the No 3 Maritime Squadron, MI-17 Helicopters from the No 6 Helicopter Squadron, Bell 212 Helicopters from the No 7 Squadron and Y-12 aircraft from the No 8 Light Transport Squadron have conducted 176 flying operations spanning over 100 flying hours.

These daring flying operations were carried out amid extreme adverse weather conditions and special mention should be made on the dropping of dry chemical powder which was done at very low altitudes in order to achieve precise drops on vital areas of the tanker. This was the first and only occasion to date where Sri Lanka Air Force helicopters have dropped dry chemical powder on to a blazing tanker.