Indian Coast Guard Saves 23 Crew Members From Flooding Chemical Tanker Off Odisha

The Indian Coast Guard rescued 23 crew members of a chemical tanker that suffered from engine failure and flooding of a ballast tank off Odisha.

The MT Seagull 9, sailing under the flag of Belize with 9000 tonnes of palm oil, had sent a distress message on Sunday morning when it was 37 nm from Paradip and was tilting to one side due to instability caused by water ingress.

After the information reached the Coast Guard, it sent the offshore patrol ship ICGS Vishwast to the scene, and a specialist team boarded the tanker under difficult conditions.

They got to work, focusing both on rescuing the crew members and removing the water from the tank using de-flooding pumps.

With their continuous efforts, the tanker was able to attain stability and did not sink. The team, along with the Coast Guard, ensured that there were no risks of an oil spill, given that the vessel was carrying palm oil.

Apart from a small amount seen close to the tanker, there was no reported pollution close to the tanker, according to sources.

Still, a special pollution-control ship and a patrol vessel were dispatched to the area along with a surveillance plane, which flew sorties over the vessel.

The tanker was then brought to the Paradip Port Harbour with the help of the towing boat Dolphin of the Paradip Port Authority. Currently, the tanker is undergoing maintenance with the Coast Guard’s technical team helping to repair its main engine.

The Coast Guard did not reveal the cause of the accident or what led to the ballast tank flooding or the extent of damage to the tanker.

In August, a Bulk carrier registered in Panama, the MV Ocean Winner, also departed from Paradip Port on the 20th, with 72,000 tonnes of iron ore fines.

Tragically, despite efforts, the vessel sank after 2 days, about 240 nm off Odisha. The Indian Navy aircraft saw liferafts and sent Aisopos, sailing close to the scene. Although two Chinese crew members were rescued, the search operation was ultimately called off, with the other 22 seafarers presumed dead.