The condition of the SSL Kolkata, evacuated off the coast of India after a fire broke out on board, has deteriorated, and the cargo vessel reportedly has developed a significant list and containers are falling overboard.
According to reports from local outlets, the vessel, which belongs to India’s leading short-sea operator Shreyas Shipping & Logistics Ltd., currently is located about seven and a half miles off Sagar Island, near the entrance to the Sundarbans, an ecologically sensitive network of mangrove forests and home to one of the largest single populations of Bengal tigers.
Sagar Island is about 50 nautical miles south of Kolkata (Calcutta), India’s third most populous city. The vessel also is near the international maritime boundary line with Bangladesh.
The vessel, which was carrying 464 containers, was en route from Krishnapatnam to Kolkata when a fire broke out on board shortly after midnight local time on June 14. According to reports, up to 70 percent of the ship’s cargo deck was aflame at one point.
All 22 crew members were safely evacuated by the Indian Coast Guard, which provided both ship and aircraft support to the operations.
On June 16, a Seaking 42-C helicopter from India’s Eastern Naval Command winched down a MARCOS officer to the vessel. The MARCOS officer, a member of the Indian maritime special forces, assessed the situation and allowed three crew members to be lowered on board to assist in their attempts to prevent the vessel from drifting further. The team managed to deploy the starboard anchor and evacuated the vessel by helicopter, according to reports.
Video of the helicopter operation is available from India 24 Live News.
Shortly after their departure, explosions on board were reported, and Vice Admiral Karambir Singh of Eastern Naval Command directed that the vessel’s drift must be stopped at all costs to avoid “an ecological disaster.”
However, the latest reports have indicated that the situation has deteriorated. Indian media outlets are reporting that the vessel has developed a significant list and containers are falling overboard, creating a potential threat to other vessels in the highly transited area.
The fire may have erupted after sea water came into contact with magnesium being held in the ship’s cargo hold.
Weather and high seas are further exacerbating salvage operations, and there remains a possibility that the ship could break apart, a major concern with nearly 400 tons of heavy bunker fuel on board.