MV Rak spilling about 2 tons oil per hour: Report

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IBNS) Following receipt of report from Indian Coast Guard notifying oil emanation from sunken vessel M V Rak carrier, a review meeting by the Director General of Shipping as a member of National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) was convened with the key Coastal State Authorities and owners.

The Coast Guard notified that oil from the sunken vessel was escaping at the rate of about 1.5 to 2 tons per hour.

The Coast Guard vessel Sankalp and oil pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari took response measures using Oil Spill Dispersant (OSD) to neutralize the affected area. These vessels are continuously monitoring the situation. Regular helicopter/dornier air sorties are also being made.

The senior officers of the sunken ship confirmed that there was 290 tons of fuel oil, 49 tons of diesel oil and 4 tons of lubricating oil onboard. The ship received 30 tons of diesel oil off Mumbai which is included in 49 tons of diesel as stated above. According to them the fuel oil of 290 tons was distributed in 7 numbers tanks located in the engine room.

Meanwhile, aerial survey of the oil spill area was carried out by the Coast Guard helicopters this morning i.e. on 8.8.2011. Oil slick around the source of oil spill has decreased in quantum as compared to yesterday and rate of spill has reduced to approx 1 ton/hour.

Oil slick is visibly thin and a broken silvery sheen extending up to 2 miles from the scene of incident is seen. Some of the broken oil patches have also been sighted up to 12 nautical miles from the sunken vessel. These are still about 8 to 9 miles from the coast.

In order to neutralize peripheral oil patches, Coast Guard has pressed one more ship ICGS Amrit Kaur into action.

A Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard has also been deployed for pollution control operation from Daman.

Three Coast Guard teams comprising 30 personnel have been deployed for assisting Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and state authorities in analysing affected areas and taking appropriate remedial actions.