Two merchant vessels, the Aviator and Atlantic Grace collided on the Gulf of Kutch, raising fears of an oil spill.
According to a defence official in Gujarat, the merchant vessels collided on November 26 night.
Following the collision of the two merchant vessels, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships were put on standby in the vicinity to monitor the situation.
In light of the incident, PRO Defence Gujarat informed that no casualty or oil slick was reported.
The collision between oil/chemical tanker MV Atlantic Grace and bulk carrier MV Aviator occurred around 21:30 hours on November 26 in the area considered to be a very sensitive marine diversity reserve.
…the ICG said in a release.
MV Atlantic Grace (of Hong Kong origin) had 22 Indian crew members on board, while MV Aviator (from the Marshall Island) had 22 members from the Philippines, it said.
Collision btwn MVs Aviator & Atlantic Grace in GoK on 26 #NOVEMBER night
No casualties, oil slick reported@IndiaCoastGuard Ships in area incl. Pollution Control 🚢 stand-by in vicinity & monitoring the situation@AjaybhattBJP4UK @Bhupendrapbjp @dgpgujarat @GujaratPolice @ANI pic.twitter.com/CZ8WfZoCxx
— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) November 27, 2021
As soon as the information was received, the ICG deployed two ships to assess the area, as it is a “very sensitive marine diversity reserve”.
A Coast Guard pollution control vessel, ICGS Samudra Pavak, was diverted for assessment and to initiate preventive measures towards marine oil pollution, the release said.
An ICG helicopter is also carrying out a pollution assessment and assisting, it said.
“ICG ships/helicopters deployed for area assessment have reported no oil spills or marine pollution from both the merchant vessels and the area is being continuously monitored for any marine pollution eventuality,” it said.
According to the ICG, the last port of call of both the MVs — Atlantic Grace and Aviator — was Kandla.
Their next ports of call were Fajuirah and Tuna Port anchorage, respectively.
The first vessel is 183 metres in overall length, while the latter is 140 metres in length, they are 32 metres and 25 metres in breadth.