DHAHRAN, 6 February — Oil tanker Libra Star, which caught fire early Sunday, is anchored safely at Jeddah port yesterday morning after technicians succeeded in restoring its main propulsion, according to the ship's owners Vela International Marine, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.
Fire broke out in one of Libra Star's three generators in the engine room leaving the ship temporarily without power. The 290,000-ton tanker, was en route Ras Tanura port from Ain Sukhna in Egypt when the fire broke out about 350 kilometers north of Rabigh.
Vela officials said the tanker proceeded under its own power and without any further incident. A tug boat dispatched from Rabigh accompanied the vessel to Jeddah as a safety precaution.
The fire posed no threat to navigation in the Red Sea and risk of an oil spill was ruled out as the ship did not carry any cargo at the time of the accident.
Mustafa A. Jalal, president and CEO of Vela International commended officers and Libra Star crew for their swift action in containing the fire. "Their training and experience brought it under control in a matter of minutes, enabling the ship to initiate contingency measures and restore full power," he said.
The tanker also received help from Vela's Dhahran and Dubai emergency centers. The Libra Star, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was delivered to the company in 1993 and is one of the 23 ships in Vela's tanker fleet. It is capable of carrying over two million barrels of oil and serves its primary customer, Saudi Aramco. (S.H.)
