X-Press feeder ship fire put out, Indian Coast Guard says

A fire that broke out onboard a Malta-flagged feeder vessel off the Indian coast earlier this week has been successfully extinguished, the Indian Coast Guard said.

The fire reportedly started on 28 September while the 10,700 dwt containership, identified as X-Press Godavari, was anchored off Sandheads Haldia.

At the time of the incident, the ship had 506 containers and 15 crew members onboard. No injuries have been reported so far.

Indian Coast Guard assets including ships Sujay, Varad, Amogh and Amritkaur as well as Dornier aircraft were immediately deployed to assist in firefighting operations. A salvage team was also sent to the scene.

On 29 September, the coast guard confirmed it put out the fire completely. It added that ICG ships escorted the ill-fated ship to Kolkata.

The extent of the damage is still unknown.

The 2008-built X-Press Godavari is commercially controlled by Singapore-based X-Press Feeders, VesselsValue’s data shows.

Back in 2011, the feeder ship was involved in another incident when it collided with a dredger off the Isle of Man. As a result, the dredger was badly damaged.