Bombay Oil Spill

Although the Bombay oil spill spread to Alibaug and Uran, the Coast Guard has said that the spill has ended.

The current oil spill off the Bombay coast occurred after two cargo ships collided 10 km offshore on Saturday, 7 August 2010. By Sunday, the Coast Guard reckoned that the leak from MSC Chitra’s breached hull had stopped. They said that approximately 879 tonnes of oil had spilt from two of the ship’s eight fuel tanks—almost one-third its overall fuel capacity of 2,662 tonnes.

The Panamanian-registered ship crashed into MV Khalijia-II due to a failure in radio communication. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said that cases had been filed against the ships’ captains. Jairam Ramesh, Union Environment Minister, said that legal action would be taken against the ships’ owners. Other politicians demanded that the Government compensate communities affected by the oil spill. A Congress MP, Shantaram Luxman Naik, demanded helpfully, “Those responsible for the collision of the two vessels in Mumbai sea should be arrested. Till today, why have no arrests been made? If two motor vehicles collide, the drivers are immediately put behind bars.” 

The Mumbai Port Trust hired a Dutch company, SMIT Salvage, to manage the oil-spill. The company’s website says that it is involved in emergency response, wreck removal operations and environmental care services. Coupled with the company’s attempts to hem in the spill, two Coast Guard helicopters are also flying over the affected areas with buckets of chemical dispersants. 

While the spill spread to Alibaug and Uran, and was on the verge of reaching Bombay’s Elephanta Caves, the Coast Guard on Monday said the spill had ended. Municipal authorities have warned residents against consuming fish. Doctors warn of gastroenteritis and kidney failure on eating contaminated fish.

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