Crews Scramble to Clean Spill at Chennai After Tanker Collision

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday January 31, 2017

Crews are working to continue the clean up of a spill that occurred following the collision of two tankers, MT BW Maple and MT Dawn Kanchipuram, at Chennai's Kamarajar Port at around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Indian media reports.

Dawn Kanchipuram, which was carrying a cargo of diesel fuel and lube oil at the time, is reported to have sustained a hull breach during the collision, spilling several tonnes of oil.

The Indian Coast Guard's pollution response teams, which are said to have been ill-equipped to respond effectively the pollution, were faced with the break down of two their submersible pumps intended to remove the oil, leaving them with no further equipment on hand to deal with the spill.

Crews were said to have been using 25 litre buckets to clear the spilled oil, which had reached about 25km to Marina Beach, with a line of workers passing the buckets from the shore to tankers waiting by the roadside.

Reinforcements to assist in dealing with the spill were said to be expected to arrive from Delhi today Tuesday.

A coast guard official said response crews were continuing to have difficulty in pumping the spilled oil, and were planning on utilising a biodegradable oil dispersant today.

"It will break it down into oil cakes that can be easily removed. It will be followed by a foam wash of the area," said the official.

Darya Ship Management, the company responsible for Dawn Kanchipuram, said is would be employing a private contractor to work on cleanup efforts as well.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident is reported to have been initiated, with sources Sunday suggesting that the outcome of the investigation would likely be known after two to three days.

"On the face of it, it seems to be a human error due to misjudgment. There can’t be any misunderstanding of language as both the vessels were led by Indian masters. However, it is difficult to arrive at a conclusion," said a port official.