Fire reported on another container ship in Indian ocean off Sri Lanka

June 25, 2021 at 12:57 PM

A fire had erupted on another container ship in international waters within the Search and Rescue Region of Sri Lanka yesterday, the Sri Lanka Navy Said.

Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva told NewsWire that the container ship MSC MESSINA had left Colombo and was enroute to Singapore when it fell into distress.

He said the Liberian flagged vessel is 480 nautical miles away from the Great Basses Reef Lighthouse in Kirinda, Sri Lanka. This is an offshore lighthouse managed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

According to reports received today, the fire that erupted in the engine room of the container ship has been contained, while it remains disbanded and adrift in the Indian Ocean halfway between Sri Lanka and the Malacca Strait, Captain de Silva said. 

The Navy spokesman added that all merchant vessels nearby have been warned of the distressed ship, while instructions have been issued to provide necessary assistance. 

Captain Indika de Silva reiterated that the vessel was far away from Sri Lanka and in international waters.

This is the latest vessel to fall into distress off the coast of Sri Lanka, as MV X-Press Pearl caught fire in May, resulting in a severe environmental impact on Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)