August 9, 2010 9:10 PM

printer

Oil spill from Panamanian Ship MSC Chitra stopped; PM calls report

The oil spill from Panamanian ship MSC Chitra, which ran aground off Mumbai harbour after Saturday's collision with another vessel, has stopped. The Coast Guard said, the leakage stopped on its own. S P S Basra, IG Coast Guard (Western Region) said, it is observed that in the last six hours, the fuel from the ship tank has stopped coming out.According to sources in the Coast Guard, Oil was leaking from two of the 12 tanks of the vessel which had got damaged due to the collision. The ship contained around 2,600 tonne oil of which 500 tonne is believed to have leaked into the Arabian sea, threatening marine life and ecology along the Mumbai coastline. Thirty three crew members, including two Pakistanis, were rescued following the incident.The Navy and the Coast Guards carried out anti-pollution operations for the third consecutive day today to check and neutralise the oil spill.Concerned over the oil spill , Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for a report from the Shipping Ministry on the incident. The issue was also raised in the Rajya Sabha where Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said legal action has been initiated against owners of the two vessels.

Most Read
View All arrow-right

No posts found.