Kendrapada: Indian Coast Guard (ICG) averted a potential maritime disaster off the Odisha coast by rescuing a distressed foreign tanker that suffered engine failure and flooding while sailing 37 nautical miles east-southeast of Paradip.The Belize-flagged MT Seagull 9, carrying 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil and 23 crew members, issued a distress call around 7.30 am on Sept 27 after its main engine failed and ballast tanks began flooding rapidly. Coast Guard dispatched ICGS Vishwast to the scene. A specialised damage-control team boarded the unstable vessel and deployed submersible de-flooding pumps and other equipment to contain the emergency. “The team arrested the leakage, blanked two damaged seawater pipelines and contained a third fractured line,” said Commandant Amit Uniyal, Chief Public Relations Officer of the ICG.To strengthen the response, Coast Guard diverted a Pollution Control Vessel (PCV) and an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) to the area for pollution management and round-the-clock monitoring. Through coordinated efforts between the ICG team and the vessel’s crew, simultaneous cargo transfer and de-flooding operations were carried out, stabilising the tanker and eliminating the risk of capsizing, Uniyal said.Meanwhile, an ICG Dornier aircraft launched from Bhubaneswar conducted an aerial surveillance of the area. A minor palm oil sheen detected near the vessel on Sept 27 had fully dissipated by the time follow-up sorties were carried out on Sept 28, Uniyal said. “Coast Guard continues to maintain strict pollution-response measures to safeguard the marine ecosystem,” Uniyal added.In a multi-agency operation, Paradip Port Authority tug Dolphin towed the stabilised tanker towards the anchorage area off Paradip. Repair work on the vessel’s main engine is underway with assistance from the technical team aboard ICGS Vishwast.
