Asia/Pacific News
One Bunker Spill Threat Ended After Listing Ship off Mumbai Towed to Safety, Four More Ships Send Distress Calls
A cargo ship, Jindal Kamakshi, that was anchored 40 nautical miles from Mumbai's coast that was said to be posing "a grave environmental risk" to the city's coastline because of a 20 degree mid-sea tilt, has been towed to safety, local media reports.
Meanwhile, four more container ships are also said to have made distress calls in the area due to "extremely bad" weather, including one ship that is unmanned and drifting, and one that has lost propulsion.
Before Jindal Kamakshi was rescued, Stalin Dayanand, environmentalist with NGO Vanashakti said of the situation, "at a 20 degree tilt, it won't take much for it to tilt further, resulting in an oil spill."
"Rough weather and seas can increase the chances of the ship listing further. If oil leaks out, the monsoon currents will wash the oil ashore faster than we think. The potential disaster looms over the coast."
However, retired Vice Admiral IC Rao said that because the container ship was not carrying oil as its cargo, the only oil that could spill would be from its own diesel fuel tank.
"As this is not a large amount in case of a container ship, the damage to the environment in case of an oil spill, would be limited," said Rao.
While Rao did agree that even a limited oil spill would affect marine life, he asserted that the larger problem would occur if the containers detach from the ship and begin floating around in the sea.
Since then, a total of 25 containers are said to have fallen from two other ships – MV MOL Cosmos (20 containers) and TCI Arjun (5 containers) – and although they will likely to reach the shore in the coming days, it was said that they will pose a danger to sailing vessels on the western coast until then.
Stalin believes the government should have more stringent maritime laws governing penalties for ships in case of an oil spill, and that procedures for what to do in case of such a situation should be made clear.
Last week, the Government of India approved the Ministry of Shipping's proposal to ratify the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage.
