Air Force drops 4,000 kg of chemicals on blazing oil tanker

• Local researchers visit site to inspect water samples

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

The Sri Lanka Air Force has so far dropped nearly 4,000 kg of Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) on blazing oil tanker ‘MT New Diamond’ to control the fire.   

SLAF Spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe said for the first time in its history, the SLAF used a Bell 212 Helicopter to drop 1000 kg of DCP on the oil tanker subsequent to the 3,000 kg dropped on Monday.   

The DCP is a dry chemical extinguishing agent used on class A, class B, and class C fires. It uses a specially fluidised and siliconised powder mix.   

Group Captain Wijesinghe said the SLAF had also dropped more than 440,000 litres of water on the blazing oil tanker.   

He said the fresh fire that erupted inside the oil tanker as a result of Monday’s high temperatures and strong winds had been controlled to a large extent but there was the possibility of another fire because of the high temperature inside the ship and environmental factors.   

The spokesman said the vessels deployed for disaster management continue to engage in  cooling on the area surrounding the oil tanker.   
The New Diamond was transporting 270,000 metric tonnes of crude oil from the Port of Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Port of Paradip in India when the fire broke out on September 3.   
The Navy said another Dornier aircraft of the Indian Coast Guard was expected to arrive in China Bay, Trincomalee from Chennai with a consignment of DCP.   
It said nine ships, five tugs and aircraft belonging to the Navy and other disaster management mission-partners were engaged in disaster management operations about 30 nautical miles off the Sangamankanda Point.   

• Nine ships, five tugs and aircraft belonging to the Navy and other disaster management mission-partners were engaged in disaster management operations