A stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka that has been on fire since last week has left a kilometre-long (0.6 mile) slick across the Indian Ocean, the country's navy said Wednesday, sparking fears of an environmental disaster.

The blaze was finally brought under control on Wednesday but a trail of diesel has been spilled across the sea.

A fire first erupted on board last Thursday and was thought to have been completely doused on Saturday, but reignited a day later.

Sri Lanka's navy said there were no flames or smoke Wednesday from the New Diamond vessel, which is carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil and 1,700 tonnes of diesel.

The fresh fire was triggered Sunday by strong winds that pushed the crippled tanker about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) closer to Sri Lanka's eastern shores.

A powerful tug boat was used to bring the drifting ship back to a location 68 kilometres (42 miles) from land, the navy said.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it had deployed aircraft to spray chemical dispersants on the slick and mitigate the environmental impact.

The ICG also said it provided 2,200 kilos of dry chemical powder to the Sri Lankan air force to drop on the burning tanker on Tuesday as a fire retardant.

The blaze had weakened the structure of the Panamanian-registered 330-metre (1,089-feet) tanker and the vessel was slightly leaning to the left, the ICG said.

Rescuers said the blaze had not reached the crude oil cargo. The diesel is thought to have leaked when the ship's fuel storage tanks ruptured and mixed with sea water that was pumped to douse the flames.

Sri Lanka's chief prosecutor, Dappula de Livera, told local marine authorities to pursue a claim for damages and order the owners to tow the tanker away from Sri Lankan waters.

The vessel first reported a fire while passing the country's east coast on Thursday after a boiler room explosion killed a Filipino crew member.

In July, Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef in Mauritius, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation's pristine waters.

India rushes fire retardant to battle tanker blaze near Sri Lanka
Colombo (AFP) Sept 8, 2020 - India on Tuesday sent fresh supplies of firefighting chemicals to help battle a new blaze on a stricken tanker loaded with a massive cargo of crude oil off Sri Lanka's eastern coast.

The New Diamond has been burning since Thursday, and a huge blaze believed to have been extinguished on Sunday reignited because of strong winds on Monday, raising fears of another environmental disaster in the Indian Ocean.

Rescuers and salvage experts have said there is no sign of a leak in the Panama-flagged supertanker, which was carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude and another 1,700 tonnes of diesel as its fuel.

Ramping up the rescue effort, an Indian Coast Guard aircraft was expected to bring dry chemical powder on Tuesday, which would then be dropped by helicopters on the ship, the Sri Lankan navy said.

Six salvage experts and 11 disaster management professionals flown in by the New Diamond's Greek owners were taken Monday to the vessel, some 55 kilometres (34 miles) off the coastal village of Sangamankanda Point, the navy said.

SMIT, a Dutch salvage company, said the stern was still too hot and unsafe for them to board the vessel for an inspection.

"Once the situation is deemed stable and safe, we will be able to inspect the vessel," SMIT told AFP in The Hague.

The company said there was a possibility of towing the tanker to a safer location and removing the cargo.

"At this point in time, there are no signs of a leak. Due to the unpredictable situation, however, the above may change and details including ultimate destination and timing are unknown," it added.

Nineteen vessels from India and Sri Lanka have been involved in fighting the fire on the New Diamond, which reportedly started after a boiler room explosion that killed a Filipino crew member on Thursday.

The remaining 22 crew members were rescued.

The vessel was on a journey from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip.

"As a result of the incessant effort of the (rescue) mission partners, the flames have been reduced to a certain extent as of now," the Sri Lankan navy said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Agency (MEPA) is due to visit the area to test water samples for any pollution, officials said.

MEPA has said that legal action could be taken against the owners, Liberian-registered Porto Emporios Shipping Inc, "should the worst happen and the ship breaks up".

The New Diamond is much larger than the Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which crashed into a reef in Mauritius in July, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island nation's pristine waters.

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