A newly built container ship transporting “dangerous cargo” from India to Sri Lanka experienced an explosion earlier this month, leading to a fire that killed at least one person, while sailing in the Arabian Sea near the Indian coastline.
The vessel, Maersk Frankfurt, was bound for Colombo from Mundra and was said to be carrying 'dangerous cargo'. The fire has been put out after several days of efforts, but authorities have still not confirmed what the cargo onboard was.
The Panama-flagged container carrier with a crew of 21 members was scheduled to reach Colombo last Sunday before proceeding to Malaysia, Singapore, and China. The crew includes two Ukrainians, 17 Filipinos, one Russian, and one Montenegrin. The captain of the vessel is Ukrainian.
The Indian Coast Guard deployed three of its vessels, Sachet, Sujeet, and Samrat, along with a Dornier aircraft, to the scene to contain the fire.
Indian Coast Guard helicopters were seen engaged in firefighting efforts and have air-dropped 150 kg of dry chemical powder to control the blaze according to their latest dispatch. The exact nature of the cargo and the extent of the fire’s impact continues to remain unclear.
The shipment to Sri Lanka comes as India looks to expand its footprint on the island, including through the sale of weapons. For decades India has helped armed the Sri Lankan state as it sought to crush the Tamil independence movement. India provided weapons, intelligence and training to the Sri Lankan military and continues to undertake joint exercises despite the killing of tens of thousands of Tamils
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