Fire onboard oil vessel off Gujarat coast, 26 crew members rescued by Coast Guard

A fire was reported on a merchant navy oil tanker carrying 30,000 tonnes of high-speed diesel off the Gujarat coast but there were not casualties, a defence spokesperson said.

He, however, did not say if the oil in the vessel spilt into the sea.

The tanker, MT Genessa, is anchored 15 nautical miles off Deendayal Port in Kandla.

The fire was reported at around 6 PM today.

The Indian Coast Guard swung into action and evacuated all the 26 crew members, two of whom suffered burn injuries.

"There was a fire in the crew compartment and efforts are underway to douse it," a Coast Guard official said.

Indian Coast Guard Interceptor Boat C-403 is at the scene and the maritime security agency's pollution control team has been activated, the spokesperson said, without clarifying if there was an oil spill or any such possibility.

He said a Dornier aircraft has been pressed into service to ascertain the extent of the fire.