Fire broke out in Indian Oil's crude carrier in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka

A very large crude carrier (VLCC) chartered by Indian Oil Corp (IOC), which was carrying the equivalent of about 2 million barrels of oil, is on fire off the east coast of Sri Lanka, an official at IOC said on Thursday (3).

The cause of the fire is unclear. Fellow Indian refiner Reliance Industries has diverted one of its nearby tankers to assist the mammoth vessel.

Following the accident, the Sri Lankan Navy sought fire fighting assistance from the Indian Coast Guard. ICG ships and aircraft have been deployed for immediate assistance, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said.

"ICG ships Shaurya, Sarang, Samudra Paheredar and Dornier aircraft have been diverted for fire fighting on oil tanker 'MT New Diamond' 37 nautical miles east off Sri Lanka coast," Coast Guard said in a tweet.

Sri Lankan Air Force has also dispatched maritime assets to assist disaster relief operations.

According to 'Marine Traffic', the vessel departed from Mina Al Ahmadi in Kuwait on August 23 and was slated to reach Paradip on September 5.

Captain Indika de Silva, Sri Lankan Navy's spokesperson told local publications that the fire began in the engine room of the vessel and the crew had been making attempts to bring it under control.

Reports said that the fire and damage are likely to cause massive environmental damage.

The crude oil tanker, built 20 years ago is currently sailing under the flag Panama. The vessel is 333-metre long and 60-metre wide, reports said.