CHENNAI: As the city is battling the worst oil spill reported in the region in decades, officials have almost come to a unanimous conclusion that a “human error” was behind allowing the two ill-fated vessels to cross the port’s narrow channel simultaneously.
The collision of the out-bound Isle of Man flagship vessel B W Maple and the in-bound Indian flagship vessel M T Dawn Kancheepuram close to the Ennore Kamarajar Port in the wee hours on January 28 resulted in an oil spill from the latter vessel that has now spread across Chennai’s shoreline, posing a huge ecological threat.
The movement of the vessels into and outside the ports was controlled by the port’s Vessel Traffic Management Services (VTMS) and experts have questioned the role of it. “Had the Vessel Traffic Management Services been effective, this could have been avoided. This is a case of human error,” said Captain M A Pillai, a sailing master mariner who has 30 years of experience.
A few port officials recall a common saying in the shipping industry — allow them to well and then enter. “Had they kept this in mind, the collision could have been avoided. It was a human error. Other factors also come into play,” said an official source at the Kamarajar port. He added that the channel of the port was designed to handle a single ship and the MT Dawn Kancheepuram was waiting at the outer anchor. “Just when the B W Maple was leaving the channel, the other ship was allowed to enter,” said the official source.
Responding to a question about this, principal officer of the Marine Mercantile Department S K Barik said, “Every aspect needs to be looked into in this regard.”
Two enquiries have been ordered into the incident so far — one by the Director General of Shipping and the other by the Kamarajar Port. “It is just like two cars on the road.
One is coming from left and another from right. They did not follow the rules,” said Captain Subash Kumar, who is heading the probe for Kamarajar Port. However, he contended that the accident took place outside the port limits and it is the vessels that were at fault.
Pillai says the exact location of the collision could be ascertained once the simplified voyage data recorder (S-VDR or VDR) in the two vessels are decoded. Meanwhile, Director General of Shipping Malini V Shankar will be in the city to review the situation.