CHENNAI : Indian Coast Guard has cleaned up the oil spill at Kamarajar Port with the help of specialised equipment on board ICGS Samudra Paheredar on Tuesday, two days after Marshall Islands tanker MT Coral Stars spilled more than two tonnes of thick furnace fuel oil (FFO) in the sea after a flexible hose snapped while discharging the oil.
A Coast Guard official told Express that specialised equipment on board ICGS Samudra Paheredar proved critical for recovering the thick oil mousse and preventing it from reaching the shores. Near about five tonnes of viscous mousse has been recovered using Weir, Disc, brush skimmers and manual mopping using absorbents. Traces of oil were effectively dispersed, he added.
The official said the spilled FFO becomes highly viscous chocolate-coloured mousse owing to weathering in passage of time and requires special equipment for which the Coast Guard pressed into action its specialised Pollution Control Vessel Samudra Paheredar along with five other ships and six sorties being carried out by Coast Guard helicopter in the ongoing Pollution Response operations.
Whilst the ships were taking care of seaward front, the aerial assessment provided the needed inputs about the location and movement of the spilled oil and critically aided in designing and implementing recovery and dispersal process, Coast Guard said. The Operations Centre of Coast Guard Region (East), Chennai maintained 24x7 communication with the State Pollution Control Board, Kamarajar Port and shipping authorities for sustaining and progressing the clean-up operation.