Indian Coast Guard Battles Blaze on Explosive-Laden Ship in the Ocean

The crew of MV Maersk Frankfurt found themselves in a nightmarish situation as their ship was engulfed in a massive fire while sailing in rough seas nearly 100 km away from shore. The ship, carrying explosives, sent out a distress call for life-saving help, which was promptly answered by the Indian Coast Guard.

Upon receiving the distress call, the Coast Guard dispatched a Dornier-228 aircraft for aerial assessment and a vessel to douse the towering inferno on the merchant vessel. The MV Maersk Frankfurt had departed from Mundra in Gujarat and was en route to Colombo in Sri Lanka when the fire broke out. The ship was carrying International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo, with explosions reported in the forward section.

Three Coast Guard ships, Sujeet, Sachet, and Samrat, have been tirelessly battling the flames since the incident. Additional support from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv and other aircraft has been deployed for Search And Rescue (SAR) operations. The Coast Guard has also requisitioned the Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Water Lily for rescue operations, expected to arrive at the site on Sunday. In a separate incident, the Coast Guard had recently rescued eleven crew members from a fishing vessel that was in distress south of the current operation area.

Source .