A fire broke out on a very large crude carrier (VLCC) off Sri Lanka’s coast which was carrying 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean on September 3, 2020.
- The VLCC named MT New Diamond,was crewed by five Greek and 18 Philippine nationals. It was headed to a Odisha from Kuwait.
- Besides Sri Lanka, Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft were then deployed for immediate assistance.
- Amid fears of a likely oil spill, at least nine vessels from the two countries, besides tugboats and aircraft, have been deployed into action.
