Oil tanker towed from Sri Lanka shoreline amid spill fearsSeptember 4, 2020 - 17:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A massive oil tanker on fire off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka is being towed out to sea amid fears of a major new oil spill in the Indian Ocean, the BBC reports. The Panamanian-registered vessel, which began burning on Thursday, September 3, is carrying about 270,000 tonnes of crude oil. Sri Lanka's navy and India's coastguard have attempted to douse the blaze with water cannon and helicopter drops. One Filipino crew member died in an engine room explosion that sparked the fire, the Sri Lankan navy said. The remaining 22 crew, consisting of five Greeks and 17 Filipinos, were taken off the ship, officials said. The 330-metre (1,080-foot) vessel - the New Diamond - is owned by Liberia-based Porto Emporios Shipping Inc. A spokesperson for the Navy said on Friday there was no immediate threat of an oil spill, but that in the event of a spill Sri Lanka would "definitely need international support". The navy also said that the Indian coast guard had observed a 2m crack in the New Diamond's hull about 10m above the water line. Dharshani Lahandapura, the chair of Sri Lanka's Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA), warned that an oil spill from the ship would be "one of the biggest environmental disasters not only in the region but in the world". She said the MEPA would take legal action against the owners of the ship in the event of a spill. Photo: EPA Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. Baku: EU, U.S. share responsibility for Armenia’s “destabilizing actions” Azerbaijan has declared that the European Union and the United States will share responsibility for any destabilizing actions of Armenia Armenia to sing in 2nd semi-final of Eurovision The organizers of Eurovision 2024 have revealed the running order of the countries in the two semi-finals. |