1 dead, 3 rescued after blast in ship off Vengurla coast

The rescue operation on the Panama-flagged vessel, located about 230 nautical miles west of Goa, was conducted on Friday morning

Mumbai: A Chinese national working as second engineer on the ship MV Helian Star died and three crew members were rescued by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard on Friday following an explosion on the ship off Vengurla coast in Maharashtra.

1 dead, 3 rescued after blast in ship off Vengurla coast

The rescue operation on the Panama-flagged vessel, located about 230 nautical miles west of Goa, was conducted on Friday morning, said a naval spokesperson.

“At 7.51pm on Thursday, the DG Shipping office was informed that four crew members of the ship headed from Saudi Arabia to Singapore had sustained severe burn injuries in the blast and required immediate advanced medical care,” the spokesperson said.

After the Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Mumbai informed the Navy, two ships, aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and fleet tanker INS Deepak were diverted to render aid.

At first light on Friday, a Seaking helicopter from INS Vikrant carried out a winching operation to evacuate three injured crew members, including two Chinese nationals, DU Minghao and Yang Xiuren, and an Indonesian national, Apriadi Daniel Lobo. The fourth crew member, 40-year-old Liu Huan had succumbed to burn injuries by then. The rescued crew were flown to INS Hansa Goa, from where they were transferred to Goa Medical College in Bambolim.

The vessel is now proceeding to Mormugao Port as directed by the Coast Guard. An investigation into the cause of the incident is expected to be conducted by the vessel’s management and Marine Mercantile Department officials in Goa.