CHENNAI: The Indian Coast Guard has served notice on Marshall Islands tanker MT Coral Stars for spilling more than two tonnes of thick furnace fuel oil (FFO) in the sea after a flexible hose snapped while discharging oil at the Marine Liquid Terminal-1 at the Kamarajar Port.
An Indian Coast Guard official told Express that the notice had been served under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 to the ship regarding cleaning and precautionary pollution control measures to be taken to clean up the fuel oil, which spilled at the berth side around 4.03 am on Sunday, as per the principle ‘polluter pays’.
They have been asked to arrange the equipment. Chennai Port will be coordinating with the vessel authorities in this regard, he said. MT Coral Stars is owned by International Andromeda Shipping headquartered in the Principality of Monaco. Officials at the regional office in Mumbai could not be reached.
The Coast Guard official said that Indian Coastal Guard Ship (ICGS) Samudra Pahredar, which has an infrared surveillance system that can detect any oil spill, even of minor nature, and thereafter dissolve the oil, has joined the operations to clean up the spill along the port area. The vessel is equipped with hi-sprint booms and river booms, recovery devices such as skimmers, side-sweeping arms and storage devices, among other features.
The official said that spill is concentrated at the Ennore port premises and has not drifted. Two aerial sortings were done by the Indian Coast Guard to survey the spillage area. The spillage was confined to the breakwaters as fence boom was immediately deployed around the vessel, the Coast Guard official added.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General (Shipping) has also issued a notice to the MT Coral Stars under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 regarding claims and liabilities. Kamarajar Port chairman P Raveendran told Express that the Director-General (Shipping) had also ordered an inquiry into the incident.
“The Mercantile Marine Department officials were there on Sunday morning after the oil leaked. The inquiry has commenced,” he said. Raveendran said that maximum oil spill had been cleared in and around the port premises.
“Almost all visible patches of oil have been cleaned. Only thin sheen of oil and emulsified oil are visible in some areas. The recovery process is in its final stage and an assessment regarding the further continuation of the recovery process would be undertaken on Tuesday in consultation with the Indian Coast Guard and the State Pollution Control Board. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has been asked to do the collection, safe custody and subsequent disposal of the recovered material in an environment-friendly manner in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board,” he said.
Meanwhile, the port operations were not hit. “We did have a coal vessel, a container vessel and a vessel carrying cars. Usually, if the oil spill is there, these vessels won’t turn up,” he added. However, operations in the Marine Liquid Terminal-1 have been affected, Raveendran added.