New Delhi, Sep 28. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has averted a potentially serious maritime incident after a Belize-flagged chemical tanker suffered an engine failure and rapid flooding off the Odisha coast, putting the vessel at risk of capsizing.
The MT Seagull 9, carrying around 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil and 23 crew members, issued a distress call at about 7:30 am on September 27, when its main engine failed and a ballast tank began flooding rapidly. The flooding caused the vessel to develop a dangerous tilt about 37 nautical miles east-south-east of Paradip.
The Coast Guard immediately dispatched ICGS Vishwast to the location, following which a specialist ICG Damage Control Team boarded the unstable tanker to undertake emergency measures.
The team deployed submersible de-flooding pumps, stopped the leakage and isolated two damaged seawater pipelines. It also contained a third fractured pipeline, preventing further flooding and eliminating the immediate threat of the tanker capsizing.
The Coast Guard subsequently reinforced the operation by diverting a Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) and another Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to the area. An ICG Dornier aircraft was also launched from Bhubaneswar to conduct real-time aerial surveillance and monitor the situation.
A minor palm-oil sheen detected in the vicinity of the tanker on September 27 was subsequently found to have completely dissipated during follow-up aerial surveillance on September 28.
The Coast Guard said pollution-response protocols continue to remain in force as a precautionary measure to protect the marine environment.
After the vessel was stabilised, Dolphin, a tug operated by the Paradip Port Authority, took MT Seagull 9 under tow towards the anchorage area off Paradip.
ICGS Vishwast and the other specialised Coast Guard assets deployed in the operation continue to remain in the area, maintaining surveillance and providing operational support to the tanker.
