Oil spill from sunken ship has decreased: Coast Guard

The oil spill from cargo vessel MV Rak off the Mumbai coast has decreased in quantum as compared to yesterday even as the authorities continued their efforts to neutralise resultant environmental pollution.

Freighter MV Rak sank off Mumbai coast four days ago leaking oil and Coast Guard ships have sprayed dispersants to contain the spill which spread to about seven nautical miles around the ship till yesterday.

An aerial recce of the oil slick was carried out by a Coast Guard helicopter between 9.30 and 10.30am today. It was noticed that the oil slick around the source of the spill has decreased in quantum as compared to yesterday and the rate of spill has reduced to approximately one ton an hour, a Coast Guard release said.

It said the oil slick is visibly thin and a broken silvery sheen extending up to two miles from the scene of the incident is seen. Some of the broken oil patches have also been sighted up to 12 nautical miles from the sunken vessel.

Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sankalp continue to be engaged in Pollution Response (PR) operation. In order to neutralise peripheral oil patches, CG has pressed one more ship ICGS Amrit Kaur into action. A Dornier aircraft of the CG from Daman has also been deployed.

"Every effort is in hand to check fresh oil hitting the coast/beaches," the release said.

Three CG teams comprising 30 personnel have been deployed for assisting BMC, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and state authorities in analysing the impact in the affected areas and taking appropriate remedial actions, it said.