New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard's (ICG) three ships are conducting a firefighting operation after a major fire broke out on the MV Maersk Frankfurt cargo ship near Karwar, Karnataka, which carries dangerous international maritime goods, on Friday.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ships Sujeet and Samrat have augmented firefighting efforts and the operation is currently being conducted by three ICG Ships Sujeet, Sachet, and Samrat. Persistent efforts by the ships for more than 12 hours have prevented the fire from spreading further.
"Indian Coast Guard continues its robust response to the fire onboard MV Maersk Frankfurt. The fire in the forepart has been suppressed, but heavy smoke persists and has reignited midship. ICG ships Sachet, Sujeet and Samrat are ongoing with fire-fighting operations. Additionally, ICG Pollution Control Vessel Samudra Prahari is being deployed to the scene today. A Dornier aircraft and ALH Dhruv helicopter have assessed the vessel, and no crew evacuation is required yet. ICG remains committed to ensuring safety and mitigating environmental impact. Efforts are ongoing," the Indian Coast Guard said in its latest update in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, the ICG said its ships Sujeet, Sachet and Samrat have been fighting the fire for over 12 hours. "India Coast Guard Ships Sujeet, Sachet and Samrat have been fighting the fire for over 12 hours, preventing its spread. As of 0700 hrs, 20 Jul, the vessel is 6.5 NM south of Karwar, ICG Dornier aircraft from Goa is conducting aerial assessments, with an additional aircraft from Kochi positioned for Search And Rescue. ETV Water Lily departed Mumbai on 19 Jul, arriving on scene by 21 Jul," ICG said in another post on X.