Indian Coast Guard continues firefighting ops on merchant vessel Maersk Frankfurt off Karwar coast

New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) continues its robust response to the fire incident onboard the merchant vessel Maersk Frankfurt. The present position of the vessel is 17 miles from Karwar, Karnataka.

The fire in the forepart of the vessel has been suppressed, but heavy smoke continues to emanate. Unfortunately, the fire has reignited in the midship area.

ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet, and Samrat are actively engaged in firefighting operations. Continuous efforts are being made to control and extinguish the fire.

A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has conducted an aerial assessment of the situation. Additionally, an ALH Dhruv helicopter was launched from New Mangalore for Goa, conducting an assessment of the vessel enroute and evaluating the feasibility of deploying Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) bags.

Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 11 (Goa) is arranging the provision of DCP bags and balls to aid in firefighting operations. The specialized pollution control vessel, Samudra Prahari, is being deployed to the scene today to provide further assistance.

At present, there is no requirement for the evacuation of the crew. The Master of the vessel has indicated that anchoring is not feasible due to the inaccessibility of the forecastle area, which has been compromised by melting containers, posing significant risks to the crew.

The ICG remains committed to ensuring the safety of the crew and the vessel while mitigating the impact of this incident on maritime safety and the environment. Continuous monitoring and response efforts are underway to bring the situation under control.

Late on Friday night, the Indian Coast Guard control room in Mumbai had received a distress call from container carrier MV Maersk Frankfurt 50 NM off Karwar regarding a major fire onboard. ICG Dornier and ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat were immediately pressed into action. An additional aircraft was also mobilized to augment Search and Rescue efforts. The Coast Guard said that firefighting was in progress to avert ecological disaster and ensure the safety of the vessel and crew.