By Belize Live News Staff: A Belize-flagged tanker carrying 23 crew members narrowly avoided capsizing off the coast of India after suffering engine failure and severe flooding.
MT Seagull 9 was carrying approximately 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil when its main engine failed and water began rapidly flooding its ballast tanks.
The vessel developed a dangerous tilt while approximately 37 nautical miles east-southeast of Paradip.
An urgent distress call triggered a major response from the Indian Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard dispatched ICGS Vishwast to the Belize-flagged vessel, where a specialist damage-control team boarded the unstable tanker.
Emergency crews deployed pumps to remove water and worked to control several damaged seawater pipelines.
Two damaged pipelines were sealed while a third fractured line was contained.
At the same time, cargo transfer and de-flooding operations were carried out to stabilize the tanker.
The operation successfully eliminated the immediate threat of the vessel capsizing.
Authorities also deployed additional vessels and an aircraft to monitor the tanker and watch for possible pollution.
A minor palm oil sheen was initially observed near the vessel, but Indian authorities said subsequent aerial surveillance confirmed that it had dissipated.
The stabilized MT Seagull 9 was later taken under tow toward an anchorage area off Paradip.
Repairs to the Belize-flagged tanker’s main engine are now underway while Indian Coast Guard personnel continue monitoring and supporting the vessel.
