The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported on Saturday that three of its ships have been engaged in combating a fire on a merchant vessel off the coast of Karwar, Karnataka, for the past 12 hours. The ships Sujeet, Sachet, and Samrat have been actively involved in firefighting efforts on the cargo vessel, located 6.5 nautical miles south of Karwar.
The blaze, which broke out approximately 102 nautical miles southwest of Goa on Friday, occurred on a vessel carrying hazardous materials. The ICG updated via its X handle that as of 0700 hrs on July 20, the ships have been preventing the fire from spreading. An ICG Dornier aircraft is conducting aerial assessments, and an additional aircraft from Kochi has been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Additionally, the emergency towing vessel (ETV) Water Lily, which departed Mumbai on July 19, is expected to reach the scene by July 21.
The merchant vessel, traveling from Mundra to Colombo, was carrying “International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo,” and explosions have been reported in its forward section, according to the ICG. The situation remains critical as efforts continue to contain the fire and ensure safety in the region.