Huge oil spill as ships collide on Hooghly

NURPUR (SOUTH 24 PARGANAS DISTRICT): A cargo vessel on its way to the Kolkata port rammed another such ship bound for Colombo on the Hooghly river here on Tuesday.

Though none of the crew was injured, both vessels suffered extensive damage and a large quantity of oil spilled into the river as a result of the collision.

Registered in Bahamas, Green Valley collided with Tiger Spring — registered in Gibraltar and coming from Singapore — around 12 noon. while trying to pass through the narrow Hooghly Point, which is the confluence of the Hooghly and the Rupnarayan rivers. Both were carrying non-hazardous cargo, according to Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) officials.

While Green Valley was taken to the Diamond Harbour for repairs, the 6000-tonne Tiger Spring with 422 containers was left stranded here. The portion where the Tiger Spring got rammed has been completely damaged with the containers precariously hanging over water.

Senior KoPT officials, however, ruled out any possibility of the Tiger Spring's sinking. Ship movement on the route, too, remained unaffected.

Local residents said the ship had tilted immediately after the collision. A thick film of black oil the crew was forced to offload was seen floating around the ship, sparking fears of an environmental hazard.

Union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Ray, however, did not attach much importance to the spill, saying that oil dumped by the crew was “nominal” and “is not a serious matter.” Members of the 22-strong-crew of Tiger Spring were seen taking stock of the damage.

According to KoPT officials, the spot — also known as blind point — poses a challenge to pilots of all vessels passing through the region as it witnesses very strong currents. Moreover, due to heavy deposits of silt over the years, the western channel of the Hooghly here has become unfit for navigation — leaving just the eastern channel open for ship movement.

Source: The Hindu, 24-11-2010

Mangroves take the hit

Mumbai: Mangroves near the Elephanta Island in the Mumbai harbour and those near Vashi in Navi Mumbai were found to be affected on Wednesday, after merchant vessel MSC Chitra collided with MV Khalijia-III, leading to a massive oil spill in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai. There is, however, no estimate of the scale of the damage.

“We have not estimated that [extent of damage] yet. We are yet to receive a confirmation,” Valsa Nair, Environment Secretary, told The Hindu.

“The oil slick has been sighted on shore from Nariman Point to Cuffe Parade in Mumbai, Vashi and Airoli in Thane district, Uran, Mandovi and Elephanta in Raigad district. Elephanta and Navi Mumbai or BARC [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre] are reportedly the only sites where mangroves have been indicated to be affected. The Pollution Control Board has constituted four survey teams with assistance of the Coast Guard and the district or local administration, one each for Mumbai, Mumbai suburban, Thane and Raigad districts,” a press note of the Directorate General (DG) of Shipping said.

The agency said while there was no more seepage of oil from the ship since Monday, “minor leakage [was] observed from port midship with black or brown coloured trail extending up to approx 0.2 nautical miles [370 metres].”

Work on securing falling containers from the ship is under way with the help of a barge provided by M/s. SMIT International Singapore. “So far 10-15 containers have been secured.”The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has reserved an area for the ship's containers.Owing to a rough sea, “attempt to stabilise the ship and pumping of fuel oil has not started yet,” the note stated.

Director-General (Lighthouse and Lightships) will procure buoys to mark the containers.Floating containers will be removed from the navigation channel with the help of strong “mooring buoys.”

“The Navy survey ship INS Yamuna undertook a survey of the entire channel. So far, only three numbers of sunken containers have been identified. [Survey data] will help the port authorities to examine the possibilities of restricted navigation,” the note said.According to DG Shipping, the ship owner has indicated that 200 of the 512 containers placed on the deck were empty.

No contamination from hazardous chemicals was found after analysis of water samples.Fish, on the other hand, were found to be polluted. “The Commissioner, Mumbai Municipal Corporation, has informed that about 500 kg of fish samples at Sasson Dock, Sewree and Bhaucha Dhakka were prima facie found to be contaminated. There was a need for stepping up sample testing. Further sample testing is being undertaken to ascertain the quality of the fish catch. The State Fisheries Department has also been directed by the State government to do random sampling of fish landing at a specified location like Sasoon Dock,” the DG Shipping said.

Source:The Hindu,12-8-2010

Lobsters, shrimps most vulnerable

Mumbai: Four days after the oil spill from MSC Chitra, an exact assessment of the impact on marine life cannot be done for lack of systematic data on the biodiversity off the Mumbai coast. Monsoon adds to the existing woes.

“One thing is sure, the spill will have an amplified impact on the sedentary marine animals like shells, lobsters, crabs, oysters, shrimps and mudskippers,” said Deepak Apte, Assistant Director, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). Considering that they form the base of the marine food pyramid, this will have a larger impact on life forms outside the sea as well, including shore birds. “When oil settles on the rocks, in the rock cracks, on the sand or on mudflats, it will create a sheath, thus asphyxiating all life forms under it.”

The impact on fish will be known only in the fair season between December and March. “It will not be clear right now how many larvae or eggs have been affected in the current season. Also, there are some species which breed only once in six years. We have no way of measuring the impact on them till we see them out in the sea,” said Mr. Apte. The impact could be measured on the basis of available ‘natural recruitment data' (the pattern of natural reproduction).

Mangroves will also be affected as this is their peak fruiting season. The mangroves in Vashi have already turned black due to an accumulated oil slick. “But it will not be much of a problem if oil accumulates on the barks of the mangroves,” Mr. Apte said. “The real problem is when the oil settles on aerial roots [also known as pnematophores] or affects their seeds.”

Places on the Mumbai-Raigad coastline like Mandwa and Sasawne have a thick oil deposit on the shore. “They will take a very long time to recover. At other places, depending on the seepage, the recovery may take anything from five months to five years,” said Mr. Apte, who has surveyed all affected sites on the Mumbai-Raigad coast.

Some environmentalists have suggested that fishermen be engaged in clearing the slick and assessing the impact. “They have huge manpower. They know the sea like no one else does. They can be very effective controllers,” Mr. Apte said. The fishermen could be involved in assessing the damage as well. “They know the places where they usually get a good catch.”

Seepage in slums

Colaba and Sewri, where substantial oil leakage was spotted on Monday, were found comparatively clean on Tuesday. But the slum-dwellers near these coasts complained of oil seepage in their homes during the high tide.

“Everything is ridden with oil in the house now. The rice sack was lying on the floor. Oil entered the house during high tide. How are we supposed to clean this now,” asked Vijayabai from the Geeta Nagar slums at Colaba.

Reports say a fresh oil leak has started near the Gharapuri and Pirwadi beaches here. Fortunately, there is still time for migratory birds to arrive. Flamingos will start coming in two months. If the contamination is not contained by then, the ill-effects will spread to wider life cycles, warn experts.

The environmentalists have anyway repeatedly said the most important concern is the long-term implication which can be gauged only after a systematic study.“There is no need to get panicky. The destruction is hazardous, for sure. But we also need to understand the dynamics of nature. We have to keep watching how our shores behave over the next few months. This story cannot be forgotten after the heat of the breaking news is over,” Mr. Apte said.

Source: The Hindu,11-8-2010