Global firms to clean up future oil spills in India

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) After reviewing the India's
preparedness to handle oil spills, the Ministry of Shipping
has decided to outsource all future clean-up operations to
global agencies with expertise in the area.
"We are most likely going to outsource it, as it is not
possible for ports to buy all the equipment which runs into
several hundred crores. We are planning to authorise the ports
to outsource the job of clean up to people who have prior
experience in handling such cases," Rakesh Srivastava Joint
Secretary Shipping Ministry said.
The ministry came to this conclusion after the
government's disastrous experience in combating the spill from
a damaged ship, MSC Chitra, at the mouth of Mumbai harbour.
"We are not equipped to handle an oil spill of even 700
tonnes," said a senior government official involved in the
Mumbai clean-up operation.
"The equipment needed for cleaning up the oil slick is
very expensive and its maintenance is very difficult," the
official told PTI.
The shipping ministry has created a contingency fund of
Rs 17 crore for clean-up operations.
The money has been collected by ports, which handle oil
imports and exports, by charging 50 paise per tonne from oil
passing through these ports.
"We will prepare an approved list of people or companies
which handle oil spills....technical people from all over the
world," Srivastava said.
Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar recently reviewed
the ongoing clean up activity for a speedy restoration of sea
lanes leading to Mumbai Port.
However, the responsibility of combating small oil spills
has been divided between the ports and the Coast Guard. Ports
are expected to handle oil spills of less than 700 tonnes in
their vicinity.
A possibility of a spill exceeding 10,000 tonnes had not
even been contemplated till the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico
happened, which caught governments off guard, with no clear
guidelines on handling oil spills of such a magnitude.
The Director General of Shipping S B Agnihotri said that
the Coast Guard and Ministry of environment are the primary
agencies tasked with combating and containing oil spills.The
Coast Guard had a supply of booms, surface skimmers and
chemical dispersants but they could be in short supply, he
said.
According to reports the oil spill has spread to the
Elephanta Caves, and the Alibaug coast in neighbouring Raigad.
Minister for Environment of Maharashtra state in west
India Suresh Shetty said the state will clean-up the waters,
and bear the cost which will later be recovered from the the
ships involved. PTI MEG
MRD