Maersk ship thanks Coast Guard for dousing fire

Agatti Islands(Lakshdweep) : The Chief Operating Officer(COO) of MAERSK Group have thanked the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for its help in dousing the flames that broke out on the container ship named Maersk Honam near Agatti Island, off the coast of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.

While the search and rescue operations were still on, the COO conveyed his appreciation to the ICG and thanked both the commander and crew of the ICG vessel 'Shoor' for their prompt reply to their call for help.

"We appreciate the strong commitment by the Indian Coast Guard to assist us in this difficult situation and remain at your availability" he wrote in the letter.

A massive chemical fire had broken out on the container ship Maersk Honam three days ago, following an explosion. There were 27 people on board the ship, including 13 Indians.

The incident took place about 390 Nautical Miles from India's Agatti Islands at Lakshadweep

Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) Mumbai of the Indian Coast Guard had received a SOS message from Singapore flagged Maersk Honam at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday regarding the fire.

23 out of 27 people have been rescued till now, while search operations are continuing to locate the four missing crew members.

The rescue operation is being carried out jointly by the ICG and the MRCC.

The ship had left Singapore on March 1 and was sailing towards Suez.

An Indian Navy Boeing P8i plane was dispatched on Wednesday from Tamil Nadu's Arakkonam to look for the four missing crew members.