A tanker suffered an onboard fire and subsequent power loss in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia as it was en route to Fujairah in the UAE on Tuesday, April 22.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Invictus had earlier departed Beira in Mozambique and was approximately 508 nautical miles east of Mogadishu when the blaze ignited in the engine room on the evening (local time) of Tuesday.
The fire was finally extinguished by noon on Wednesday, April 23. However, the ship’s power has not yet been restored, as flooding in the engine room has made it difficult for the crew to ascertain the state of the engines.
An Indian Navy ship diverted to the area in response to the incident. Medical personnel from the navy ship then boarded the tanker and treated a Filipino crewmember who had suffered burn injuries.
Invictus’ entire crew continue to remain on board the tanker as the shipmanager assesses its options with regards to evacuating the injured seafarer and having him undergo treatment in hospital.
A number of European Union naval assets are also in the area and are monitoring the situation.
