A major fire broke out on offshore support vessel Coastal Jaguar near Visakhapatnam Port here on Monday.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, about 29 crew and workers were present on board at the time of the incident, and 27 were rescued. One body was found floating in the water, and another person is said to be missing and a search is on to trace him.
The deceased person was identified as Ashish Kumar of Rajasthan while the missing person was identified as Vicky Chauhan of Uttar Pradesh, according to Zone II DCP Uday Bhaskar.
Grave mishap
Of the 27 rescued, 15 suffered burns. While five were discharged after treatment, 10 have been admitted to a local hospital with 50% to 60% burns, and one of them who received 90% burns is said to be critical.
The incident occurred at 11.30 a.m about one to two nautical miles from the mouth of the Visakhapatnam harbour and one nautical mile from the coast.
Loud explosion
According to initial reports, there was a loud explosion on board the vessel, thereafter the vessel was engulfed in thick flames. All of the crew and workers reportedly jumped into the sea, abandoning the ship.
Rescue
Indian Coast Ship Rani Rashmoni , which was on patrolling duty in the vicinity rushed to the spot and in coordination with VPT boats and Coastal Security Police, rescued the 27 crew members and workers.
ICGS Ship Samudra Paheredar , Coast Guard helicopter and ICGS C-432 (Fast interceptor), were pressed into service for rescue operation and dousing the fire.
According to DIG Coast Guard Bibuthi Ranjan, water and foam were used to douse the fire and it took over eight hours to bring the flames under control.
“It was an extremely difficult operation, as the sea was rough and on the one hand we had to rescue the crew and on the other hand we were engaged in fire fighting. Fighting fire on a ship is a different ball game, as there are fuel tanks that can explode and the body is made of steel, which heats up easily. But braving the odds, we rescued 27 of them and handed them over to VPT. We fished out one body and search is on for the missing man,” said Mr. Ranjan.
On trial run
The Mumbai-based offshore supply vessel was in the dry dock till recently in Visakhapatnam and was on trial run on Monday, after a 40-day refit and overhaul. The ship was on contract to HPCL.
Though it is still early to assess the cause of fire, sources say that there was an explosion in the engine room, which might have triggered the fire.
