Mumbai:
Hectic efforts are underway to contain an oil spill off the Mumbai coast. Two merchant ships collided on Saturday at the mouth of the Mumbai harbour. The MSC Chitra tilted sharply under the impact, resulting in the oil spill. The other ship, Khalijia was at the harbour for over a fortnight for repair work when the collision took place. (
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Containers from one of the ships have fallen into the sea making navigation into the channel a hazard.
A day after the disaster, a thick oil slick has been sighted 1.5 to two miles around the ship. Volunteers are on standby for any assistance that maybe required to restrict the damage of the spill, but the clean up-job is being hampered by the high wind and tide.
And now there is a new danger - as many as 200 cargo containers have fallen from the ship and pose a navigational hazard for other ships. As the waves hit the containers, they are floating along the sea.
When the MSC Chitra collided it had a cargo of 1219 containers. The cargo contained 2662 tonnes of fuel, 283 tonnes of diesel and 88040 litres of lubricant oil.
Six coast guard ships and two helicopters are trying to clear the spill. But until it is fully cleared, fishing activities off the Mumbai coast have been restricted.
As the clean up continues, the focus is moving to how such a major mishap occurred.
A case has been registered against the captain and crew of both ships. The Director General of Shipping has also ordered an inquiry.
Sources say the two ships were using two different frequencies for communication, when they should have been using one channel.
The cargo vessel Khalijia involved in this mishap had been grounded near the Mumbai coast after an accident in July. Now this mishap less than a month later has raised questions about the safety standards at the Mumbai port.