Fire on ship with hazardous cargo off Mumbai coast doused

A major fire that broke out on the Colombo-bound merchant vessel M V Amsterdam Bridge off Mumbai coast has been contained but the presence of dangerous cargo continues to make things critical, Coast Guard officials said.

"Though the situation is under control, it continues to remain critical due to the presence of dangerous cargo. The condition of the vessel is being constantly monitored," a Coast Guard official said.

The ship, carrying hazardous cargo, had caught fire near the Prongs Reef Lighthouse in South Mumbai on Sunday. However, the crew of the 54,405 tonne vessel is safe.

There are a total of 119 International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) containers on board the 54,405 tonne vessel, sources said.

Coast Guard officials said that they had not witnessed any oil spill so far, even though the ship fuel tank contained 2,600 tonnes of heavy fuel.

According to officials, the owners of the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant vessel, have appointed professional salvors for the vessel.

"Owners have appointed M/S Resolve Shipping as the salvors for the vessel. The salvors, comprising expert fire fighters and chemical scientists, are expected to arrive here tonight and are likely to board the vessel tomorrow," the officials said.

The officials also said that the Coast Guard and the Naval fire fighting teams embarked the vessel today to carry out the detailed onboard assessment.

According to Coast Guard, the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant vessel had anchored at the inner anchorage after discharging cargo at Nava Sheva, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) on Friday. It left for Colombo after loading containers and was supposed to reach the Sri Lankan capital on Tuesday.