Mumbai: Two Panamanian cargo ships collided
today off the Mumbai coast causing an oil spill from one of
the vessels but no casualties were reported, Indian Coast
Guard (ICG)officials said.
33 crew members, including two Pakistanis, were rescued
following the incident, they said.
According to Coast Guard officials, MSC Chitra, the
outbound merchant vessel from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
(JNPT), collided with MV Khalijia-III, five nautical miles
from the shores at 9:50 am when the latter was sailing
towards Mumbai Port Trust (MPT), off Mumbai harbour, for
berthing.
Both the ships, measuring at least 180 metres in length,
developed cracks following the collision. Chitra tilted
sharply under the impact, resulting in oil spill, they
said.
A senior Coast Guard official said on condition of that
the spill was "significant" but claimed the situation was
"under control".
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a
call soon after the collision and the Regional Operational
Centre promptly diverted Coast Guard ship Kamala Devi for
assistance, the officials said.
The Indian captain and 32 crew members of Chitra were
evacuated and the ship was grounded in the vicinity of the
Prong Reef Lighthouse.
PTI
