Managing Matters Maritime: The New Diamond in 2020, Part I
(This Newsletter will be presented in a series of two articles due to detailed nature of the narration in understanding the complexities involved in managing maritime crisis!)
When Paradip (Indian Port in the eastern coastline in the Bay of Bengal) bound crude oil tanker New Diamond (IMO ?9191424) released the distress alert I was the Director General Operations (DGO) at the NHQ. The Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) co-located with Navy’s Operations Room at the NHQ received the alert from the passing Merchant Vessel ‘Helen M’ (IMO 9308223), who by that time has rescued several crew members of the distressed vessel. The moment matter was informed to MRCC, several parallel processes started to proceed. The nearest Naval vessel was diverted to the location, the shore RADAR points closest to the incident was alerted to expand its RADAR coverage, Air Force HQ was informed to send an aircraft, establishing of Bonafide status of the distressed vessel using the systems available commenced and the tracing of the Local Shipping Agent was initiated. In parallel, all relevant Naval Area Commands (Eastern, South-Eastern, and Southern), The Harbour Master, Director General Merchant Shipping, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) were informed.
The incident was relayed to the Commander of the Navy, the Defence Secretary and to the President Office as per the Standard Operating Procedures followed at that time. Meantime the GAC Shipping contacted the MRCC and informed that they are representing the distressed vessel as per the operating agencies’ nomination. Meantime SLNS Ranarisi under the Command of Commander Roland Ranthenna (His elder brother then Lieutenant Mangala Ranthenna of (Intake 24 Navy), was Killed in Action onboard a Fast Attack Craft in year 1999) went alongside the distressed vessel and boarded the vessel to evacuate a critically injured crew member. (It was later revealed that the injured Philippine national seafarer; 3rd Engineer, who was critically injured due to the boiler explosion inside the engine room was evacuated to the bridge as per the ship’s contingency plan and left there, due smoke spreading to the bridge area. Three naval personnel despite the smoke went to the Bridge and safely transferred the patient to the forecastle and then to the Naval vessel. Please see the video clip ( https://youtu.be/kbZEFBuwMFw ?) of the naval vessel alongside the Tanker and the audacious rope climbing the naval personnel undertook to board the Tanker and lent helping hand to the Master and the remaining crew, who were on the deck and refused to go back into superstructure now beginning to smoke as a result of the engine room fire)
Afterwards, when Navy inquired in detailed through the rescued crew on what had happened onboard, it indicated that the boiler exploded inside the engine room and as a result of the explosion the main seawater line for internal fire-fighting system raptured making the activation from the Ship’s bridge unresponsive. Then the crew isolated the engine room and evacuated the ship, and the fire eventually consumed the ready-to-use fuel onboard but not penetrated the bulkhead separation to the crude oil storage.
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Please see the three Naval personnel who went to rescue the seafarer
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?The GAC shipping informed that on the instructions of the owners, a group of P&I Club experts are scheduled to arrive by charted flight the next day. Thus, under the Covid regulations, the Navy geared up to receive these experts from Mattala Airport and transfer them to the site. Meantime the Air Force flight reported through the Director Air Operations (Air Vice Marshal Ravi Jayasinghe at the AFHQ) that they could see the smoke coming out from the ‘structure’ at rear of the ship! Instantly I knew the pilots are not familiarised with the ship features and through Director Air Operations enquired where in the structure they see the smoke coming out; was it from the windows (which denotes that the Super-structure is on fire) or from the ‘chimney’ shape thing behind the structure! As pilot reported that the smoke is coming from the chimney, I realised that the fire is in the engine room and it’s the smoke that coming from the funnel (time was not conducive to teach the pilot of use of correct terminology to make decisions!) and with initial inputs from the Naval sources figured out that the ship’s boiler had exploded, initiated the fire, and now wanted to know why the Master has abandoned the vessel without engaging fire-fighting! The response from the Naval Ship that went alongside confirmed that the Master has activated the automatic fire-fighting system from the Bridge, but it has not functioned for some reason. Meantime MRCC got in touch with the Class Surveyor in Colombo and requested from him the blueprints of the vessel and also informed him of the revelations so far on what caused the fire. At this time fire was still inside the Engine Room, and likely to spreading as sprinkler system is not functioning. The distressed vessel’s crew who was onboard another passing by Merchant Ship was taken onboard another Naval Vessel now in vicinity and were instructed to interview the crew to establish what has happened onboard. This was a necessity as the crew knowhow on the distress ship may needed as we responded to the fire onboard.
The class surveyor also responded after couple of hours that it seems there was an issue with ship’s boilers earlier and was repaired and surveyed as per the available documents. Meantime instructions received from the President office to arrange an emergency meeting under the chair of the Hon. Attorney General Mr Dappula De Livera. I participated this meeting in company of the Commander of the Navy at AG’s Chamber where chairs of MEPA, Port Authority, Shipping, and several of marine law experts from the AG Department were present. At the meeting, I narrated the unfolding of the incident and what has happened so far. The discussion chaired by the Hon. AG covers legal aspects and as the discussion started to drift to unnecessary issues in managing the developing situation, I intervened.
I am being the DG Operations, under whom the MRCC function and with my previous experiences of handling MT Granba (a vessel carrying 2500 MT of pure sulfuric acid) in 2009, I knew some quick decisions are needed and common operating procedure to manage the developing maritime accident is much needed. I informed the Hon. AG in my usual high-tone in meetings that we need to three (3) things; namely (1) save the life’s onboard; which was already done except for one who by that time we knew was dead at the engine room having being exposed to the Boiler Explosion (as per crew reports), (2) Curtail the fire raging onboard; which my estimate was one week to fight, extinguish and board the Tanker to certify ‘render-safe’ procedure, which also by now on motion (3) send the tanker away the moment vessel is made safe! At this last statement AG inquired why I wanted it to be send away. I answered the AG that what we do is a ‘Statutory Salvors’ role as (a coastal State) the cargo of crude oil is not destined to us, nor the vessel is making any port calls to us. I informed the AG it is best that we work with clear end-state we wanted to achieve as these are legitimate cargo and the Tanker is on innocent passage in our Contiguous Zone (Thereby we have the rights to take legal action under sanitary; pollution aspects under our MEPA Act).
But AG was in the opinion that this was a ‘rough ship’ as someone might have given him that feeling, to which I said that the Navy is having means to track the vessel’s past tracks and if AG permit me couple of hours I will prove with technical evidence that this ship is not a rough ship! (eventually I got our ship tracking systems; Navy was using several; naval and commercial, web-based applications to trace the MT New Diamond’s tracks since 1st January 2020 which illustrated that the ship has made eight (8) passages with fully laden crude oils to destinations in east coast of India taking the same passage route). These were presented to the Hon Attorny General and he was impressed with what Navy can do in managing maritime crisis and asked me what I wanted him to do! I politely told the AG that ‘Sir, you handle all legal matters, but rest is mine, I am the operational authority to manage, coordinate and make ensure that this not become a national disaster!”
What is unique on maritime contingencies is to make swift decisions; decisions based on what exactly the end-state one wish to achieve, in this case my advice to all my superiors was that lets assist as per the international obligation we hold as a coastal state, and let the cargo and vessel be salvaged by appointed salvor elsewhere thereby making us free from our Port State responsibilities and Port of Refuge responsibilities! Thus, knowing very well the decision-making efficiency of the Government, I took decisions to engage and assign numerous tasks to relevant authorities who all were had very personal and cordial relationship with me. For example, I informed Dr Terny Pradeep Kumara who was the GM MEPA, that I will be keeping two (2) Fast Attack Craft at his disposal to collect samples at site, operating from Hambanthota. Meanwhile then DGMS, Mr Ajith Seneviratna was informed to have the Class surveyor ready to assess the damages and the legal process as he is the national authority, The Harbour Master Mr Nirmal Silva was contacted to have the oil spill material released from his storage in Trincomalee and Colombo to made available at Hambanthota. Mr Ravi Jayawikrama of Hambanthota Port Group agreed to release his stocks of oil booms and accessories when needed. Meantime I briefed the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of the incident and what will be the action plan involved.
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To be continued to part II of the Newsletter explaining the coordination and support of Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, three-ship Russin Naval Vessels and foreign support arranged and coordinated under the MRCC functionality!
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