Almost three months after two ships collided off the Kamarajar Port in Ennore, it has finally been revealed that MT Dawn Kanchipuram had 584.14 MT of bunker oil.
More than 200 tonnes of oil leaked into the coastline of Chennai and other regions from MT Dawn Kanchipuram in the days following the collision with MT BW Maple in the wee hours of January 28.
Despite repeated queries, neither the shipping company nor government agencies were willing to specify the quantum of bunker oil in the ship till now.
In a comprehensive report filed before the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Shipping, has submitted that MT Dawn Kanchipuram was “having bunkers (fuel) of 584.13 MT of heavy fuel oil, 66 MT of diesel oil and 16.2 KL of Lube Oil.”
The DG Shipping submitted that the carrying capacity of the bunker tanks (high fuel oil) of the vessel is 1481.1m3 and total capacity of the diesel oil tanks is 188.9m3.
Detailing the whole accident and its aftermath, the report also said “the managers of the vessel MT Dawn Kanchipuram , thereafter, informed the Kamarajar Port through email on 28 January, at 1333 hours, about breach to three tanks of the vessel and ingress of water into the engine room of the vessel, due to which the situation on the vessel was deteriorating very fast”.
The report further said while the inquiry team stated the quantity of bunker oil that leaked from the vessel was 196.4 MT as per measurement done on February 7, the re-measurement of bunker oil to be carried out after the transfer of ships oily-water mixture to shore tank was yet to be done.
No space in shore tanks
“This remeasurement was not possible as the vessel is yet to complete transfer of all its oily water mixture to shore tanks as the shore tank does not have adequate space. The vessel has 166 m3 of oil water mixture in slop tanks and they are awaiting approval from Tamil Nadu Polluction Control Baord and Kamarajar Port for this transfer to shore tank”.
The bench, on Wednesday, was also informed that the clean-up and remedial work was complete at 20 spots. The tribunal has ordered a joint inspection by the TNPCB and MoEF and file a report by July 6. It also heard submissions made on the insurance claims.
