Singapore cargo ship with 13 Indians catches fire, 4 missing

Mumbai, March 7 : An explosion followed by a massive fire ripped through a Singapore-flagged container ship with 13 Indian crew including the captain off Agatti Islands, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Four crewmen, including an Indian, are reported missing. Casualties are feared in the disaster that struck on the high seas around 9.45 p.m. on Tuesday. The cause of the incident, which occurred off the south-west coast of India, is not yet known, the official said.

The Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordition Centre (MRCC) at Mumbai said it received a distress call from the Singapore-flagged container cargo ship “Maersk Hom”. The vessel had left Singapore on March 1, on way to the Suez in Egypt, and had a crew of 27 including 13 Indians. The captain is an Indian. The remaining crew are from the Philippines, Britain, Romania and Thailand.

At the time of the distress call, the ship carrying unspecified cargo in 7860 TEU containers was at a distance of around 650 NM (1,300 kms off west of Kochi, near the Agatti Isles in Lakshwadeep Islands. Coast Guard Inspector General K.R. utiyal, the Coast Guard Commander (West), said: “Search Operations are on. (IANS)

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