Sri Lanka will not allow stricken oil tanker to leave without paying firefighting bill

The Indian
Oil-chartered oil tanker, which was stricken off the coast of Sri Lanka following
a fire onboard, will not be allowed to leave the island nation’s waters unless its
owners pay a $2 million fire-fighting bill.

The New Diamond
was carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil from Kuwait to India. On September 3,
an engine room explosion killed a Filipino crew member and caused a massive fire
to break out.

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Indian and Sri
Lankan firefighters battled the blaze aboard the vessel, which is currently
tied to a tug boat and guarded by the Sri Lankan Navy around 140 kilometres (90
miles) east of the Sri Lankan coast, AFP reported.

Owners were
planning to begin towing the Panamanian-registered oil tanker back towards the
United Arab Emirates, official sources said.

However, Sri
Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Agency (MEPA) on Thursday said the ship
will only be allowed to leave after a $2.38 million bill for the rescue
operation and marine pollution.

Also Read: Lankan Navy, Indian ships continue to battle re-ignited fire on board oil tanker

Sri Lanka had
said last week that the tankers owners, Liberian-registered Porto Emporios
Shipping Inc, had agreed to pay the firefighting costs, although confirmed Thursday
that no payment had been received yet.

“MEPA will
grant approval to tow the ship away from of Sri Lankan waters, once the
negotiation process (for payment) is completed,” the agency said in a letter to
the navy.

The vessel
is managed by New Shipping Limited of Greece.

The New
Diamond’s remaining 22 crew members were rescued and are currently in quarantine
in the city of Galle as a coronavirus precaution.

The oil
tanker leaked some of its heavy fuel oil but salvage workers have fixed the rupture,
the navy confirmed, adding that there was no risk of its crude oil cargo leaking.

Sri Lanka
also said it wanted to charge the tanker’s skipper for negligence and causing
pollution.