How Sri Lanka managed to tackle oil slick from stricken supertanker

International salvage experts boarding the fire-stricken oil tanker, New Diamond, in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka’s eastern coast.(Photo: Sri Lanka Navy)

The Sri Lanka Air Force airdropped dispersal-chemicals on the surface oil slick, created by the stricken oil tanker that caught on fire recently, to break down oil into smaller droplets that readily mix with water. It minimises the detrimental impact on the marine environment. Boats had been dispatched to the area to divide the oil slick into manageable portions, Marine Environment Protection Authority’s (MEPA) Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara said.

Kumara added that the oil slick was currently spread in a two nautical mile area, close to the damaged Super Tanker and slick could still pose a threat to Sri Lanka’s marine environment, especially fish species, sea mammals and o crustaceans.

Kumara said that in addition to Rs. 340 million sought by the Sri Lankan government for operations undertaken by its Air Force and Navy to prevent a far greater marine catastrophe, the country would seek Rs. 4 billion for the damages caused to its marine environment.

The MT New Diamond super tanker was transporting 270,000 MT of crude oil from the port of Meena Al Ahmadi in Kuwait to the Port of Paradip in India when a fire broke out in its engine room, killing a crew member and causing serious burn injuries to its engineer in the eastern seas of Sri Lanka on September 3, 2020.

The ship was sailing 38 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point, Ampara when it caught fire with an explosion in a boiler in the ship’s main engine room.

The distressed oil tanker in eastern seas was manned by 23 crew members comprising five Greeks and 18 Philippine nationals.