26 June 2021 11:37 pm Views - 1770
A container ship left adrift in the Indian Ocean after an engine room fire was being towed to Singapore on Saturday (June 26), Sri Lanka navy said.
The Indian coastguard helped extinguish the blaze after it erupted aboard the MV MSC Messina on Friday about 425 nautical miles (787km) from Port Blair in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
"We were informed that the fire was completely doused by this afternoon and the ship is being towed to Singapore," Sri Lanka navy spokesman Indika de Silva said.
One of the 28 crew members remains missing after the fire.
Sri Lanka's navy helped coordinate communications with the stricken ship and other vessels in the area.
The Liberian-registered MSC Messina left a Colombo port on Wednesday en route to Singapore and reported the fire halfway to the Malacca Strait.