Cargo ship catches fire: Indian Coast Guard deploys 3 ships for firefighting
Indian Coast Guard has deployed 3 ships for firefighting off Goa coast | Indian Coast Guard
Since 5 PM, Friday (July 19), three Indian Coast Guard ships have been fighting a fire on board cargo ship MV Maersk Frankfurt, which is positioned 190kms off the Western Indian state of Goa. The vessel was sailing from Mundra, Gujarat to Colombo, Sri Lanka, when a major fire broke out on the vessel carrying International Maritime Dangerous Goods(IMDG).
On receiving information regarding the fire, the Indian Coast Guard deployed one ship and a Dornier short-range maritime patrol aircraft towards the distressed merchant vessel.
On assessing the fire situation and understanding that explosions have been occurring in the frontal portion of the merchant ship,the Indian Coast Guarddeployed two additional ships to augment the firefighting efforts. The firefighting is being carried out amid harsh weather conditions, rough seas caused by the active southwest monsoon.
WION has learnt that MV Maersk Frankfurt is manned by 21 crew, comprising 17 Filipinos, two Ukrainians, one Russian and onemember from Montenegro. Initial reports indicate that one Filipino crew member is missing.
As it stands, the cause of fire remains unknown.
While the Indian Coast guard assets continue to fight the fire, there isdanger posed by the 1,400 metric tons of diesel that the vessel is carrying. ICG ships have been dousing the flames with water and specialised firefighting chemicals such as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF).
This is a developing story. More information will be added as further details of the ongoing operation emerge
