Colombo, June 2 (newsin.asia): Salvors have boarded the burnt-out container vessel MV X Press Peral nine nautical miles off Colombo harbor, the Indian Coast Guard tweeted on Wesnesday.
Aerial surveillance and assessment by the Indian Coast Guard Dornier aircraft have confirmed that there is no leakage of fuel from the vessel, said a press release from the Indian High Commission said on May 28.
Overall, the MV X Press Pearl is currently assessed as being stable and not having issues with water tight integrity.
As on May 28, heavy smoke was observed only near accommodation/ Superstructure area in aft portion of the ship and is being tackled.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has been, since the evening of 25 May 2021, carrying out joint fire-fighting and pollution control efforts along with relevant Sri Lankan authorities including Navy and Coast Guard, to stabilise the situation on the MV X Press Pearl.
The burden of these efforts has been to focus on preventing the spread of fire towards the vessel’s bow and thereby protecting anchor, cable-chain and other associated machinery in highly inclement weather.
External fire-fighting using foam and boundary cooling by sea-water along the entire length of vessel from either side is under progress and continuous monitoring of vessel’s draught, list conditions and presence of hazardous and noxious substances overboard is being undertaken.
The quantity of combustible material onboard is estimated to be limited.
The ICG ships will continue to assess the situation and the decision to board or approach closer to the vessel will be taken after fully dousing the fire and undertaking sufficient boundary cooling.
Containers that fell from the vessel were identified and threat assessment for navigation safety have already been carried out and shared with relevant Sri Lankan authorities.
Indian assets were deployed within hours from receiving the request from the Sri Lanka Navy for assistance on 25 May 2021. While ICG ships Vajra, Vaibhav and one CG Dornier are already part of the joint operation, Samudra Prahari – a specialized pollution response vessel reached on 29 May to augment pollution control efforts.
The joint India-Sri Lanka operation involves continuous liaison by the High Commission and ICG Headquarters with relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka for providing recommendations on fire fighting and pollution control.
The Indian side is guided by the Neighborhood First policy and remains committed to deepening cooperation with Sri Lanka in the sphere of disaster management and mitigation on the high seas and relevant coastal waters on basis of mutual respect and goodwill.
See the video of the Indian Coast Guard action:–
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