Paradip: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Monday rescued a distressed foreign chemical tanker after it developed an engine failure and rapid ballast tank flooding about 37 nautical miles east-southeast of Paradip in Odisha, an official said.
The Belize-flagged MT Seagull 9, carrying 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil with 23 crew members on board, issued an urgent distress call around 7.30 am September 27 after its main engine failed and its ballast tank rapidly flooded, causing the vessel to tilt dangerously, the official said.
“Responding swiftly, ICGS Vishwast was immediately dispatched to the scene. Demonstrating high operational readiness, a specialist ICG Damage Control Team boarded the unstable vessel under challenging conditions. Deploying submersible de-flooding pumps and advanced damage-control equipment, the team swiftly arrested the leakage, blanked two damaged seawater pipelines, and contained a third fractured line,” ICG chief public relations officer Commandant Amit Uniyal said.
To reinforce the operation, the ICG also diverted a Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) and an additional Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to the location for enhanced pollution response and round-the-clock monitoring, he said.
Through coordination between the specialised team of ICGS Vishwast and the vessel’s crew, cargo transfer and de-flooding operations were carried out simultaneously, stabilising the tanker and eliminating the threat of capsizing, he added.
An ICG Dornier aircraft was also launched from Bhubaneswar for real-time aerial surveillance.
A minor palm-oil sheen initially observed near the vessel Sunday was found to have fully dissipated during follow-up aerial sorties Monday, Uniyal said.
Strict pollution-response protocols remain in place to safeguard the marine ecosystem, he said.
The Paradip Port Authority tug Dolphin subsequently took the stabilised MT Seagull 9 under tow towards the anchorage area off Paradip.
Repairs to the main engine are underway with assistance from the technical team of ICGS Vishwast.