Oil spill continues for 3rd day

Mumbai, Aug 9 (PTI) A foreign cargo ship, which
collided with another vessel about 10 km off Mumbai harbour
here in Maharashtra, tilted further spilling oil for the third
day Monday as the Indian Navy and Coast Guard made hectic
efforts to contain the leak.
"MSC Chitra has tilted 80 degrees and the total oil
spill is nearly 50 tonnes," Arun Singh, Commandant
(Operations), Coast Guard told PTI.
He said so far, 300 containers carrying oil have
tumbled into the water.
A worried Chief Minister Ashok Chavan of Maharashtra
state in west India said, "This is a serious issue. We have
already filed cases against the captains of the two ships
which are from abroad. Today, I am going to have an aerial
look at the accident site".
"We are trying to contain the leak as far as
possible," he said.
Two Panamanian cargo ships -- MSC Chitra and MV
Khalijia-111 -- collided on Saturday off the Mumbai coast
causing an oil spill from one of the vessels.
Thirty three crew members, including two Pakistanis,
were rescued following the incident.
The Navy and the Coast Guards carried out
anti-pollution operations for the third consecutive day Monday
to check and neutralise the oil spill.
Six coastguard vessels and a helicopter with
anti-pollution dispersal spray systems were pressed into
service Sunday to contain the oil spill.
A high-level meeting, to be attended by the officials
of the Maharashtra government Environment Department, National
Disaster Response Force, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,
Shipping department, Mumbai Port Trust and other concerned
agencieshas been convened to assess the situation and steps to
be taken to bring it under control, sources said.
Fishing associations have been also requested not to
carry out any fishing activities till the oil spill is
contained, officials said.
Officials are yet to locate the leakage. The thick
oil slick has been sighted two to three kms around the vessel
Chitra.
"Traffic has been suspended as the containers are still
sighted floating into the channel thus making navigation
hazardous," a Coast Guard official said.
The Directorate General of Shipping has initiated an
investigation into the incident, Directorate General of
Shipping's Chief Nautical Advisor M M Savvi told PTI, adding
"the Coast Guard and senior officials (Directorate General of
Shipping) are now at the site".
According to officials, Chitra was carrying about 1,200
containers which had over 266 tonnes of fuel.(MORE) PTI VM
MRD


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