Crew member missing from container ship off SL coast

Colombo, June 26 (IANS) A crew member onboard the MSC MESSINA vessel, has been reported missing after leaving the Colombo Port in Sri Lanka, local media reported.A fire had erupted on the ship but was contained by Friday evening, reports Xinhua news agency. However, the Liberian-flagged container ship remained disbanded and adrift in the Indian Ocean halfway between the island nation and the Malacca Strait, the Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said.Silva told local journalists that the container ship, with 28 crew members onboard, had left Colombo and was en-route to Singapore when it fell into distress.He added all merchant vessels nearby had been warned of the distressed ship, while instructions had been issued to provide necessary assistance.
--IANS ksk/