COLOMBO, 28 May, 2021, (TON): With firefighting operations on container ship MV X-Press Pearl, off Colombo, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has said that fire appears to have reduced in the front and mid-region of the ship, while the blaze continues in the rear.

India has sent three special Indian Coast Guard ships and an aircraft to help Sri Lanka put out a huge fire on a container ship off the island country’s coast amid mounting fears of a major oil leak.

Despite the ongoing adverse weather conditions, sustained firefighting operation by Sri Lankan Navy, Air Force, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and other local agencies in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard ships continued for the seventh day to control the fire on-board the MV X-Press Pearl.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority said the Sri Lankan tugs and Indian Coast Guard Ships have considerably reduced the blaze aboard MV X-Press Pearl and no oil spill was detected.

Accordingly, the samples of the ship’s cargo and floating objects and seawater samples were sent to the Government Analyst as per court orders.

The ship’s crew spotted the chemical leak in the Arabian Sea, about 1,000 nautical miles from Sri Lanka, a naval news service reported.

X-Press Pearl is a Singaporean container ship which was built in 2021 and it is around 186 metres (610 ft 3 in) long. It is operated by X-Press Feeders which is regarded as the largest feeder operator in the world.

The ship, which caught fire while at anchorage off Colombo and suffered an explosion, necessitating the swift evacuation of the crew.