MV Rak sank 20 nautical miles off the coast of Mumbai
One tonne of oil is coming out of the sunk cargo vessel M V Rak every hour and traces of oil have been observed up to 12 nautical miles off the site, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) said.
“The continuous trail of the oil leak from the vessel is observed up to 12 nautical miles, very thick oil up to one nautical mile, thick layer of oil up to two nautical miles,”the DGS said in a statement issued here after a meeting with concerned agencies to discuss the impact of the sunk vessel and measures undertaken.
Maharashtra government’s environmental department has reported that oil patches have been seen at Gorai, Alibaug and proximate area besides the Juhu Beach, it said.
M V Rak sank 20 nautical miles off the coast of the city while on a voyage from Indonesia to Gujarat. At the time of sinking it was reported to be carrying 60,000 tonnes of coal, more importantly 325 tonnes of fuel oil and 56 tonnes of diesel which is causing the environmental damage.
The local P and I (protection and indemnity) correspondent will be mobilising resources to either seal the source of leakage from the ship or debunker the oil, it said.
The P and I has also been asked to mark the sunken ship with a suitable wreck marking buoy in consultation with the Director General of Lightship and Lighthouses (DGLL) at the earliest which will avoid any further incidents, the DGS said.
Additionally, the Mumbai Port authorities are also giving navigational warning over the radio to warn mariners, it said.
“Coast Guard and the Maharashtra State Maritime Pollution Board have taken the oil samples from the proximity of the ship and onshore respectively for carrying out analysis,”the release said.
Source: India Report
