Asia/Pacific News
India: Bunker Fuel Threat in Bay of Bengal
Thursday June 28, 2018
The environmental threat posed by bunker fuel onboard a ship stranded in the Bay of Bengal could be averted by deploying an 'inflatable barge'.
The stranded ship has around 200 metric tonnes of fuel in its tanks and bad weather is making it difficult for the salvage operation.
According to a Times of India report, a special storage tank also known as dracone barge has been deployed. The barge resembles a large oilskin that can be towed by another vessel.
"A dracone barge is a very sturdy [piece of] equipment and can operate even when the sea state is four or five," a coast guard official was quoted as saying.
The stranded ship is positioned in an environmentally sensitive area of the Bay of Bengal called the Sunderbans.
