Indian Coast Guard Averts Capsize of Chemical Tanker off Paradip Coast
· India · The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Zee News
The Indian Coast Guard successfully prevented the Belize-flagged chemical tanker MT Seagull 9 from capsizing approximately 37 nautical miles east-southeast of Paradip in Odisha. The vessel, carrying 9,000 metric tonnes of palm oil and 23 crew members, issued an urgent distress call on September 27, 2026, after suffering a main engine failure and rapid ballast tank flooding. The Indian Coast Guard Ship Vishwast was dispatched to the scene, where a specialized damage-control team boarded the unstable ship to arrest leaks and blank damaged seawater pipelines. Authorities simultaneously carried out cargo transfer and de-flooding operations while deploying additional patrol and pollution-response vessels to monitor the area. Aerial surveillance confirmed that a minor palm oil sheen observed near the vessel had fully dissipated by September 28, 2026.
Why it matters
The swift intervention averted a major maritime disaster and prevented a catastrophic oil spill in the Bay of Bengal, protecting both the 23 crew members and the marine ecosystem.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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